Mercedes-Benz Bus has announced it will introduce an electric bus chassis in Australia next year.
Benz revealed the zero local emission electric city bus chassis in Brazil recently and says that prototype buses, using the new electric chassis, are currently being tested in Germany and Brazil.
The company has announced the new Mercedes Benz electric city bus chassis will be available in Australia in the last quarter of 2022 and the Australian-specification electric chassis will have a range of more than 300km and will be able to be fully-charged in little more than three hours.
Mercedes Benz rival, Volvo is set to launch its first battery electric bus chassis this month with the prospect that two of the heaviest hitters in the local route bus market will both have all electric chassis coming to Australia in the near future.
Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific president and CEO, Daniel Whitehead, said that Australian customers will welcome an electric bus chassis from a brand they can trust.
“Daimler is proud to offer customers advanced electric solutions for trucks and buses that have been properly developed, tried and tested in order to deliver the class-leading quality and performance expected from our trusted brands,” he said.
“Our customers are excited about a Mercedes-Benz bus that emits zero local emissions and is perfect for operation both in the regions and cities and suburbs with high pedestrian density. We know the Mercedes-Benz electric city bus chassis will deliver exactly what they have asked for,” Daniel Whitehead added.
As part of its electric bus chassis package, Mercedes-Benz says it will also offer a consultancy service to help customers with everything required to integrate the new vehicles into their existing fleet including energy supply, battery recharge infrastructure and fleet operation planning.
The company added that the electric bus chassis product will also be supported by the Mercedes-Benz dealership network that spans the country.
The electric city bus chassis is a low-floor model suitable for locally-made bodies up to 13.2 metres long, with the electric motor integrated into the rear axle, with an EBS electronic braking and energy recovery system incorporated into the driveline.
The company added that the electric bus chassis development was led by Mercedes-Benz in Brazil, where it will be built for the Latin America, Europe and Oceania markets.
