In Östersund, the eCitaro proves on a daily basis that it is always ready for action, even in snow and ice. The city in central Sweden has a population of 50,000. In his own words, Claes Forsberg, Fleet Key Account Manager at Daimler Buses Sweden, describes it as a “a really wintry place”. VY Buss worked with Daimler Buses and Daimler Buses Solutions to electrify its fleet and depot.
Magazine
The eCitaro gives icy temperatures the cold shoulder.
VY Buss in Östersund, Sweden, is putting the eCitaro through its paces in the far north.
The eCitaro in the far north of Europe.
Winters in the far north are cold, snowy and last for many months - with temperatures of -10 to -15 degrees Celsius not uncommon. When Daimler Buses Sweden was awarded the contract for the delivery of the eCitaro and the construction of the charging infrastructure, it quickly became clear: when electrifying VY Buss’ fleet in Sweden, there were extreme weather conditions that needed to be overcome. This was true not only for the regular service, where each eCitaro has to cover 84,000 kilometres a year, but also in the planning and construction of the necessary charging infrastructure. Holistic planning was essential, as Östersund is Europe’s northernmost location for the eCitaro to date.
We bring the e: Jan-Christoph-Hardock from Daimler Buses Solutions (left) discusses the project steps with Simon Dickens from VY Buss.
Rune Henriksson (VY Buss, left) and Andreas Petersson (Daimler Buses Sweden, right) with the shell structure site at the Östersund depot in the background.
The first project of its kind in Sweden.
It was the first time that Daimler Buses Sweden took care of both the delivery of the eCitaro and the installation of the complete eSystem. First, the concrete foundations for the charging stations were cast and the cables were laid both underground and on roads by a local construction company. The charging units were then installed in the spring, but temperatures still got wintry at times, as the team from Daimler Buses Sweden reports. With the 13 charging stations and two additional mobile chargers, a total of 25 charging points are now available.
A real challenge: construction work in wintry temperatures in the Swedish spring.
Cooperation with trusted partners.
Specialists at Daimler Buses Solutions GmbH in Mannheim and Daimler Buses Sweden supported VY Buss in its transition to electromobility. Andreas Petersson, eSystems Projects at Daimler Buses Sweden, and his colleagues got together in the office to map out the project. They coordinated the work in cooperation with trusted partners such as charging station manufacturer Ekoenergetyka and software provider Sinos, which takes care of the eCitaro's charging management system in Östersund. The complexity of every project lies in the data communication between eBuses, chargers and the charging management system, says Jan-Christoph Hardock, Project Manager at Daimler Buses Solutions.
Jan-Christoph Hardock, Project Manager at Daimler Buses Solutions, configures the backend of the charging infrastructure.
An electric bus system is far more than the sum of its parts.
Jan-Christoph Hardock, Project Manager at Daimler Buses Solutions
Charging infrastructure and the eCitaro defy the Swedish winter under the open sky.
The ideal charging strategy for Östersund.
The charging stations supply 21 eCitaro solo buses and four eCitaro G buses with electricity - and this is guaranteed, as the charging infrastructure contract with VY Buss provides for a ten-year warranty and maintenance of the chargers. When it comes to the charging strategy in Östersund, VY Buss takes a mixed approach: the eCitaro buses are charged and preconditioned at night in the depot so that they are ready for operation in the early morning despite the cold Swedish nights. Depending on how much they need to be used, they receive an additional quick charge during the day.
Charging infrastructure and the eCitaro defy the Swedish winter under the open sky.
The charging strategy is the best solution for the routes on which the eCitaro buses operate in Östersund.
Andreas Petersson, Daimler Buses Sweden
The 21 solo buses are charged via plugs, and the four eCitaro G buses also have a pantograph, which allows them to use the existing charging infrastructure in the city of Östersund. To ensure this mix, Daimler Buses has worked with the customer to develop a tailor-made solution that takes into account all local conditions.
Charging infrastructure and the eCitaro defy the Swedish winter under the open sky.
Première for an eBus configuration.
The eCitaro buses for VY Buss in Östersund also have a special feature: at the customer's request, the charging socket for the plug is only located at the front of the eBuses - which are equipped with NMC3 batteries. It's a première, because this is the first time Mercedes‑Benz has produced this configuration, confirmed Claes Forsberg from Daimler Buses Sweden. It's also a tailor-made solution implemented at the customer’s request.
OMNIplus ePremium ServiceContract for VY Bus.
With the service contract, VY Buss secures a ten-year service life for the eCitaro in Östersund. The nearby OMNIplus service centre ÖLAB AB ensures that the eCitaro can withstand the harsh conditions of the Scandinavian winter throughout the entire contract period.
Live: Replication of the SINOS charging management software in use in Östersund.