Australasian Bus & Coach – July 2019

(^42) ABC July 2019 busnews.com.au
SNAP CHAT INTERVIEW
Australia/NZ? Has the only official
Euro 6 Citaro in Australia entered
into a trial?
MK: Fabian, we have recently launched
the eCitaro in Europe as a serial
product. Our order book has reached
three figures already. We are not only
selling a product with eCitaro but a
complete solution and provide tailor-
made consultancy to our customers
through our e-mobility consultancy
team. We are not looking into tests
anymore; we are delivering a tested
product. For the right-hand-drive
version, start of production is currently
planned for the second half of 2021.
Our Citaro Hybrid, Bus of the Year
2019 in Europe, has been delivered in
the hundreds in every major European
city. It is a low voltage solution,
requiring little to no upgrade in your
existing operational infrastructure.
Customers love it.
Our Future Bus – the semi-
automated city bus with CityPilot - has
made its first public journey on part
of Europe’s longest BRT [Bus Rapid
Transit] route in the Netherlands.
This links Amsterdam’s Schiphol
airport with the town of Haarlem – a
20km-long route with bends, tunnels,
junctions and traffic lights. The journey
was a success – the bus approached
bus stops, opened and closed doors,
moved and communicated with traffic
light systems, and the driver never
touched the brake or accelerator
pedal. The only official trial we will
run in Australia is our Citaro Euro 6
bus. We plan to start it by the end
of July in Sydney in cooperation
with CDC NSW.
ABC: If width rules change,
would Daimler’s semi-
autonomous Future Bus ever
make it here – even if only for test