The planned order is made up of eight articulated buses and 16 solo buses. They are expected to be delivered this year. The locally emission-free urban buses will be operated in the port city of Gdynia in the Gulf of Gdańsk by the Przedsiębiorstwo Komunikacji Autobusowej Sp. z o.o. (PKA Gdynia) transport company.
The fully electric city buses from Mercedes-Benz are characterized by the latest-generation lithium-ion batteries. They can be rapidly recharged either using a plug connection or a pantograph with a charging output of up to 300 kW. Besides the standard plug-in connection which is available, the eCitaro can also be charged using an additional plug-in connection at the rear of the vehicle. What’s more, the buses also feature a pre-conditioning system. With this, the battery and passenger compartment are brought up to the appropriate temperature to ensure that the vehicle is already at the right temperature before it leaves the depot.
The city buses are equipped with the latest driver assistance systems in order to increase safety for driver and passengers alike, such as the automatic braking assistant Preventive Brake Assist and the turning aid Sideguard Assist. The connection of the buses to the Omniplus ON fleet management system ensures that the vehicle condition is continually monitored whilst also showing any recommendations for required servicing work. This helps ensure that the fleet remains operational.