Interview with Karsten Wasiluk, Head of Charging and Energy Technology at Daimler Buses Solutions, about current technological standards and trends.

Having modern electric buses in the yard is only the first step towards sustainable urban transport. An efficient charging management system is absolutely essential for practical operation and to allow us to exploit the full potential of the technology. This is where Karsten Wasiluk, Head of Charging and Energy Technology at Daimler Buses Solutions GmbH, and his team come in. In this interview, Karsten tells us all about charging facilities and current trends.

Why is Daimler Buses Solutions focusing on depot charging?

As things stand, we can safely say that we took the right path from the outset. We focused primarily on depot charging when introducing the eCitaro and not, like other manufacturers, on high‑power charging/opportunity charging. It’s not about the highest performance data. Our preferred charging capacities of up to 150 kW with CCS connectors and up to 300 kW with pantographs are very rarely used to the max. In fact, regularly charging to full capacity can be damaging to the battery.

Will charging at the pantograph still be used in the future?

Route charging may become a discontinued model, but the pantograph as the charging hardware definitely won't be – especially in its top‑down variant! It is quite clear, however, that Daimler Buses Solutions is able to offer whichever kind of charging solution our customers may need. This is precisely what makes the eCitaro so very flexible; the optimal solution can be found for every depot – even across brands.

What are the trends in bus charging technology?

There is definitely a clear trend towards depot charging with an inverted pantograph, even though this is a significantly more expensive method to put in place. Many of our current projects are designed on this basis. When it comes to the possibility of self‑driving buses in around five years’ time, these companies are already well prepared on a technical level, as this solution represents an established automated charging option. In addition, the inverted pantographs have the advantage that they can all be started up at the same time in the event of danger, which is a real safety advantage. Fire protection in particular is an important aspect that is taken into account from the outset in an implementation project, starting with the installation concept of the buses at the depot: One key concept is spacing – ensuring that there is sufficient distance or firewalls between groups of e‑buses. We always look at what would be expedient and what can be most efficiently implemented in each case. There are fears around this issue but since 2018, these have never been realised.