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Public transport company VHH orders 16 Mercedes-Benz eCitaro electric buses; longer-range packs
https://www.greencarcongress.com/2019/0 ... 4-vhh.html
The public transport company Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein (VHH) in Germany has ordered 16 units of the Mercedes-Benz eCitaro electric city bus. The buses are expected to be delivered at the end of 2019.
For the first time the buses features twelve battery packs with total capacity of 292 kWh. This results in a long range, even in difficult conditions at the height of summer and in winter, amounting to around 170 kilometers (106 miles) in accordance with SORT2, without recharging along the route. In ideal conditions, the range can even be as much as about 280 kilometers (174 miles). . . .
The company Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein (VHH) uses more than 150 buses to connect the metropolis of Hamburg with the surrounding area. The area served by VHH includes the city of Hamburg itself and the surrounding districts. The company’s fleet comprises more than 500 buses, by far the majority of which are from Mercedes-Benz. They carry more than 100 million passengers per year.
As of 2020, VHH wants to buy exclusively locally emission-free buses for use in the Hamburg city area. In order to prepare for electromobility the Bergedorf depot has become the first of VHH’s twelve depots to be converted for electromobility with a newly built workshop hall and the necessary charging infrastructure.
The 16 eCitaro vehicles are charged at the depot’s charging point using a charging management system. This technology ensures precise charging of every single bus to suit its specific application, without any unnecessary and expensive current spikes. In this context, the interior of the buses is also thermally preconditioned. This cuts the energy consumption for climate control during use and thus extends the range.
BYD launches 27m battery-electric bus, world’s longest; distributed 4WD system
https://www.greencarcongress.com/2019/0 ... -byd2.html
BYD launched the K12A at the company’s headquarters in Shenzhen, the world’s first 27-meter (88.6-foot) pure electric bus. With a passenger capacity of 250 people, it is the longest pure electric bus in the world and can travel at a maximum speed of 70 km/h.
Additionally, it is also the world’s first electric bus equipped with a distributed 4WD system, which can switch between 2WD and 4WD smoothly to meet the demands of different terrains, while also lowering the vehicle’s overall energy consumption. . . .
The bus is equipped with DC and AC charging ports that can be switched freely. One charge can last almost 300kms, and can therefore respond to the demands of a full day’s operation.
To date, BYD has delivered a total of more than 50,000 pure electric buses to its global partners. Its electric buses (longer than 10-m) rank Nº1 worldwide in terms of total sales.
This has four axles spread over three articulated units, 2-1-1 (there's a photo). Re BYD, see previous accounts of problems with their buses that have led to them being rejected by transit agencies after short periods in use.