Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr GmbH, or rnv for short, is setting an important standard for increasing environmental friendliness in local public transport within the Rhine-Neckar region: The world’s first all-electric Mercedes‑Benz eCitaro articulated buses from series production with a fuel cell as a range extender and a range of up to 400 kilometers are in use in urban traffic throughout the cities of Mannheim and Heidelberg.
The ceremonial handover of the first three Mercedes-Benz eCitaro G fuel cell vehicles took place on November 23, 2023 on the premises of the rnv depot at Bergheimer Strasse 155 in Heidelberg in the presence of Dr Andre Baumann, State Secretary at the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy of Germany’s Federal State of Baden-Württemberg. Till Oberwörder, CEO of Daimler Buses, handed over the keys of the three premiere vehicles to Martin in der Beek, Technical Director of Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr GmbH, as well as Prof. Dr Eckart Würzner, Mayor of the City of Heidelberg.
As Till Oberwörder, CEO of Daimler Buses said: “We are proud of the long-standing partnership with Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr GmbH, which is manifested in today’s handover of the first Mercedes-Benz eCitaro G fuel cell. The birth and production site of our city buses and the rnv headquarters are closely linked in Mannheim, which strengthens this site within the Rhine-Neckar region for both enterprises.”
In addition to the three eCitaro G fuel cell vehicles, a further 45 eCitaro articulated buses of identical design will be delivered successively by mid-2025. 40 of the total 48 vehicles will be destined for regular service in Mannheim and Heidelberg. The eight other buses will be used in Ludwigshafen am Rhein. In addition, rnv has an order option for an additional 27 eCitaro G fuel cell vehicles, with which rnv’s bus quota can be increased to a total of 75 fully electric fuel cell articulated buses provided by Daimler Buses by 2027 if required.
rnv has set itself the objective of converting its entire vehicle fleet in the Mannheim-Ludwigshafen-Heidelberg metropolitan area to locally emission-free drives by 2032. The all-electric buses bearing the Mercedes star make an important contribution to this: Since 2018, the transport company based in Mannheim has already received 36 eCitaro electric solo buses and integrated them into regular service. Another important part in this are the all-electric eCitaro G low-floor articulated buses with a fuel cell as range extender.
rnv is receiving support to achieve this ambitious objective through the H2Rhein-Neckar and H2Rivers funding projects, in which the everyday suitability of hydrogen and fuel cell technology in the mobility sector is examined and tested in day-to-day operation.
