With deliveries scheduled between the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024, the Dutch public transport operator, HTM, has ordered a mixture of both 12 and 18-metre versions of the bus. Having purchased the full “e-package solution,” Daimler will install and manage electric charging points (pantographs) at HTM’s depot in the Hague.

These tests were designed to see how the vehicle copes in extreme temperatures and to try out the newly developed thermal management system. The engineers were also interested to monitor how the fuel cell system operates at extreme altitudes.

on the 12th of July, EvoBus will officially be rebranded as Daimler Buses alongside all other affiliated European national subsidiaries in order for EvoBus to benefit from the Daimler brand. All EvoBus service centres will be renamed Daimler Buses Service Centres starting mid-July.

The Italian public transport operator, SASA, has ordered nine 18-metre-long articulated buses with a fuel cell range extender which will be used in northern Italy from the end of this year with deliveries scheduled between the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024.

To drive up consumer interest the company has been publishing many of its tests. The latest voyage saw the eActros travel from the Mercedes plant in Wörth, Germany, to Aksaray in Turkey. The 3,000km route was designed to test the vehicle’s safety systems, durability and performance.

Daimler Truck is committed to equipping a minimum of 75 percent of its Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles delivered in 2025 and at least 80 percent in 2030 with a safety system that exceeds the legal requirements in terms of performance. 

A definitive agreement is set to be signed in the first quarter of 2024, with the transaction to be completed by the end of 2024, pending legal and regulatory approval. Whilst details remain sparse, the goal is to unify their efforts in commercial vehicle development, procurement, and production in order to build a globally competitive Japanese commercial vehicle manufacturer.

The European programme has partly been funded by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership (EUR 30 million for 150 hydrogen fuel cell trucks) and the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for the 8 hydrogen refuelling stations across France and the Netherlands.

Rakshana is a Muslim name which means Protect.

BharatBenz is a brand name of Daimler India Commercial Vehicles, which is fully supported by Daimler Truck AG

The eCitaro fuel cell utilises a battery-electric drive system with high-performance NMC3 batteries while the fuel cell acts as a hydrogen generator to extend the range. With a range of 350km on a single charge, the articulated version offers space for 128 passengers.

The Truck & Bus Builder team will be in attendance to bring you coverage of the launch as Mercedes began taking orders in October 2022, the company has finally moved into series production.