Wet winters, increasingly frequent extreme weather situations and storm floods – the effects of man-made climate change cannot be ignored and require political action across the board. Hamburg is one of the cities that are committed to climate protection and have set themselves ambitious goals.

CO2 emissions are to be reduced by 70 percent by 2030 compared to 1990, with Hamburg also aiming to be CO2-neutral by 2045 – as stipulated in the Hamburg Climate Plan, which formulates the climate strategy of the Senate of the Hanseatic City of Hamburg. The plan also sets out concrete measures to reduce emissions and savings targets for the four sectors of industry, trade, commerce and services, private households and transport.

The transport sector is an important lever for reducing CO2. On the one hand, emissions must be reduced, while on the other hand, the increasing mobility needs of a modern metropolis must be met. A central lever for reducing greenhouse gas emissions is therefore to transition away from passenger cars to an environmental network consisting of bus, rail, pedestrian and bicycle transport as well as sharing and on-demand services. As an operator of metro and bus lines, Hamburger Hochbahn therefore plays an essential role in reducing emissions in the transport sector.

In addition to strengthening the environmental network, Hamburg is driving the switch from combustion engines to electric drive systems in the area of drive technologies. “We have been procuring exclusively electric buses since 2020”, explains Sophie Schaar, Chief Technology Officer at Hamburger Hochbahn. An important component of our bus fleet is the modern Mercedes-Benz eCitaro, which is therefore also an important component of Hamburg’s climate strategy.

Hamburger Hochbahn uses eCitaro solo buses and eCitaro articulated buses, and the company has gained experience with all three battery generations installed in the eCitaro, from NMC1 to NMC2. “We have everything”, said Sophie Schaar with a laughing glance at the electric bus from Daimler Buses. The availability is very much the same as that of conventional diesel buses.

The eCitaro is also able to cover the distances required of Hamburg's city bus services. “Our goal is that we will not have any additional vehicle requirements due to the switch to electric mobility”, emphasises Sophie Schaar, who is confident that Hamburger Hochbahn will achieve this goal. Hamburger Hochbahn is set to convert its entire bus fleet to e-buses by 2030. Currently, just over a fifth of the buses on the road are electric.

The feedback from drivers and passengers on the eCitaro is also consistently positive. Hamburger Hochbahn has gained a lot of experience with the eCitaro in recent years – and this experience has been "positive", as Sophie Schaar confirms.

The fleet transformation is taking place at a rapid pace: after all, not only do electric buses need to be procured, but the necessary charging infrastructure also has to be set up. Currently, Hamburger Hochbahn's e-buses depart from the Langenfelde, Alsterdorf and Hummelsbüttel depots. A depot will be built at the Meiendorf site, which is scheduled to go into operation in summer 2026 and is designed exclusively for electric vehicles such as the eCitaro.

“We are building a vehicle wash facility and a workshop hall as well as an administration building there”, says Constanze Salgues, press spokesperson for Hamburger Hochbahn. “The carport roofs for the electric buses will be greened and equipped with photovoltaic systems”, she explains. Sustainability is a top priority in all areas. "There will be water tanks to collect rain water, which will then be used at the wash facility before being reprocessed. The waste heat from the charging technology will also used for the heat supply."

The Meiendorf depot, in which 130 e-buses such as the eCitaro will find their home, therefore shows what the future of Hamburg’s bus system will look like.