Citaro FuelCELL-Hybrid, On the Streets of Hamburg in 2010

German carmaker Daimler's bus division debuted yesterday on in Hamburg the Mercedes-Benz Citaro FuelCELL-Hybrid, in expectation of the service debut in 2010. The zero emission bus will be operated by Hamburger Hochbahn, which will receive 10 of them.

“The new Citaro FuelCELL-Hybrid clearly demonstrates that electric mobility is already feasible today also with commercial vehicles”, Hartmut Schick, Daimler Buses chief said in a release. "Besides, synergy potentials with our Mercedes-Benz passenger car development and Daimler research can be optimally used in particular with the fuel cell drive system.”

The Citaro FuelCELL-Hybrid achieves, according to the data provided by the manufacturer, a hydrogen consumption rate 50 percent less than the previous generation. This means that its hydrogen tanks allow for an operating range of about 250 km.

The bus is part of Daimler's “Shaping Future Transportation” initiative, aimed at providing clean, efficient drive systems and alternative fuels in public transport operations. Daimler is among the few carmakers out there to focus intensively on developing fuel-cell technologies for both public and private transport.

“Our intensive research and development conducted since 1994 has enabled us to bring the fuel cell to series production maturity. This enables us to entrust two fully practical electric vehicles with battery-electric and fuel cell drive systems to our customers – the smart fortwo electric drive and the B-Class F-CELL," Prof. Kohler, Daimler's e-drive & Future Mobility vice president added.

"The main objective now is to achieve a competitive cost level in comparison with conventionally powered vehicles and to create a full infrastructure of electric and hydrogen filling stations in cooperation with energy providers and the petroleum industry.”