Daimler Wins F-Cell Award for Fuel Cell Powered Citaro BusDaimler Wins F-Cell Award for Fuel Cell Powered Citaro Bus

Since 2003, Daimler has been openly testing the Citaro fuel cell powered transit bus.  A total fleet of 36 passengers buses have been on the roads across Europe racking up 135,000 hours of use and reaching over 1.2 million miles travelled.  The testing was conducted on the first generation Citaro FuelCELL.  Now, Daimler has been awarded for their efforts and look to begin work on the next generation Citaro FuelCELL bus.
The award comes from the environmental ministry of the German state of Baden-Wurttemberg.  As Daimler stated, “The F-Cell Award was presented by Baden-Württemberg’s Environmental Ministry, Wirtschaftsförderung Region Stuttgart GmbH, and EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG for the ninth time. The innovation award established by the state of Baden-Württemberg honors application-oriented developments related to fuel cells.”
Daimler intends to build a new test fleet of 30 Citaro FuelCELL buses utilizing the next generation fuel cell system.  The buses utilize a system similar to the Citaro Bluetec hybrid bus.  The fuel cell operates at a set output which keeps the lithium ion battery charged.  The battery powers the rear wheels via hub mounted motors.
According to Daimler, the benefit of this type of bus is,”Its outstanding environmental friendliness. The bus emits absolutely no pollutants while in motion, and it’s also virtually silent, making it ideal for use in highly congested inner cities and metropolitan areas.”
The new Citaro buses will take to the roads later this year.  The testing will take place throughout Europe, with buses offered to several mass transit companies for daily use.  The test will continue for several years on the second generation models.  Daimler eventually seeks widespread use of their Citaro FuelCELL powered buses.
Source:  Daimler Press Release
Daimler Receives F-Cell Award for Application-oriented Fuel Cell Technology
Daimler has received the F-Cell Award for innovative use of fuel cell technology in the Mercedes-Benz Citaro FuelCELL Hybrid urban bus. Two employees accepted the award on behalf of Daimler last Monday during the F-Cell Conference in Stuttgart. “We are very delighted about this award as it once again highlights our innovative skill as the world’s largest bus manufacturer and also helps take us a big step toward our goal of zero-emission driving,” said Hartmut Schick, Head of Daimler Buses. “The award confirms that we also are the technology leader in the area of alternative drive technologies.”
The F-Cell Award was presented by Baden-Württemberg’s Environmental Ministry, Wirtschaftsförderung Region Stuttgart GmbH, and EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG for the ninth time. The innovation award established by the state of Baden-Württemberg honors application-oriented developments related to fuel cells.
Together with their teams, the Daimler employees Monika Kentzler and Wolfram Fleck from “E-Drive and Future Mobility” and Michael Edig from EvoBus GmbH were instrumental in the development of the Mercedes-Benz Citaro FuelCELL Hybrid. “We are proud that these three employees, as well as the many others who were involved in the project, achieved such a great feat,” says Hartmut Schick. “It demonstrates how commitment and interdisciplinary cooperation can result in pioneering solutions.”
The Mercedes-Benz Citaro FuelCELL Hybrid made its public debut last June at the UITP Congress in Vienna. The fuel cell hybrid bus is the first member of Daimler Buses’ new generation of fuel cell buses. It combines the advantages of the diesel-electric Citaro G BlueTec Hybrid, which had been unveiled a few months earlier, with those of the hydrogen-powered Citaro fuel cell buses.
The exceptional feature of the Mercedes-Benz Citaro FuelCELL Hybrid is its outstanding environmental friendliness. The bus emits absolutely no pollutants while in motion, and it’s also virtually silent, making it ideal for use in highly congested inner cities and metropolitan areas.
Later this year Daimler Buses will produce a small batch of about 30 vehicles from this new generation of fuel cell buses and offer them to European mass transit companies. The Mercedes-Benz Citaro FuelCELL Hybrid bus will undergo extensive testing in several cities throughout Europe. This test series will proceed along the lines of the successful CUTE fleet test conducted by the European Union between 2003 und 2006. Since 2003 a total of 36 Mercedes-Benz Citaro buses equipped with fuel cell drives have displayed top performance for 12 public transport agencies on three continents as part of the CUTE test and other related testing programs. In approximately 135,000 hours of operation, during which the buses covered a total of more than two million kilometers, the environmentally friendly fuel cell drive system impressively demonstrated its ability to function properly under everyday operating conditions.
The Mercedes-Benz Citaro FuelCELL Hybrid was developed within the framework of Daimler’s global commercial vehicle initiative “Shaping Future Transportation.” The aim of this initiative is to use clean, efficient drive systems along with alternative fuels to realize zero-emission commercial vehicles for tomorrow’s transportation needs. The Shaping Future Transportation initiative includes using resources sparingly and reducing emissions of every kind while at the same time guaranteeing maximum traffic safety 

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