Denmark has topped the UN’s World Happiness Report for years. And they are also very happy with the first three eCitaro buses delivered to Tide Bus Danmark in the autumn of 2021. Since then, the buses have been reliably serving a commuter route on the Danish island of Funen.
Omnibus Magazine
On the road around the clock
The first eCitaro buses in Denmark are making an impression with their excellent mileage and reliability.
On the road around the clock.
The first eCitaro buses in Denmark are making an impression with their excellent mileage and reliability.
The battery capacity of the eCitaro was the deciding factor in opting for eCitaro buses.
“We have been using the three eCitaro buses on behalf of FynBus for around two years in regular bus services on Route 140 between the cities of Odense and Otterup”, explains Morten Boye, Director of Workshops and Technical Operations at Tide Bus Danmark. Working with his Technical Manager, Marco Pedersen, he took the time to report on his practical experiences with the electric bus for the Mercedes-Benz OMNIBUS magazine.
Sustainability has traditionally been a top priority in this Nordic country. Morten Boye: “Converting public transport to electric mobility has top priority”. The eCitaro was chosen relatively quickly during the electrification of Route 140. "We were immediately impressed by the overall concept of the Mercedes-Benz eCitaro. The final deciding factor was battery capacity", explains Morten Boye.
The three eCitaro buses bought by Tide Bus are equipped with NMC2 batteries, and these have now been replaced by the even more powerful third-generation NMC3 battery.
High mileage between two cities.
Tide Bus on the island of Funen has demonstrated definitively that even the second-generation battery can handle long routes. In commuter traffic between Odense and Otterup, the Mercedes-Benz electric buses cover somewhere between 300 and 400 kilometres per vehicle per day in several rounds. The eCitaros travel at an average speed of 30 km/h and above. This is significantly faster than in typical urban bus services.
Tide Bus’ charging strategy is based on a combination of overnight depot charging and intermediate charging using plug-in sockets at the depot. “Each of the three buses has now covered around 200,000 kilometres without any significant faults”, reports Marco Pedersen. “The eCitaro buses have been used almost continuously since they started in 2021.”
“Sideguard Assist and Preventive Brake Assist are very fine features.”
Bus drivers love the eCitaro.
Drivers are also happy with these electric buses, as Tide Bus is keen to emphasise. “Drivers love the eCitaro”, says Marco Pedersen. The electric bus is pleasant to drive and drivers like how quiet it is. They also praise its air conditioning system.
Driver comfort is perfectly complemented by the built-in assistance systems. Amongst other things, the electric buses are equipped with the active Sideguard Assist turning assistant and the Preventive Brake Assist braking assistant. “These were new to us at the time”, explains Marco Pedersen, who describes the assistance systems as “very fine features” that improve the safety of bus traffic.
Workshop services from OMNIplus.
Training by OMNIplus gave drivers the perfect start. Workshop training courses were also held for the workshop employees of Tide Bus Danmark to ensure they are qualified to work on the electric bus. Tide Bus puts its trust in OMNIplus service contracts for maintenance and workshop services. The bus company also uses OMNIplus ON digital services, which allow them to monitor their vehicles.
Happy passengers, satisfied operators and drivers who love to drive the buses – the eCitaro on Funen is helping to keep Denmark at the top of the World Happiness Report.
