Daimler Buses to produce e-buses in France

Since Daimler is planning to produce electric buses alongside diesel buses, the German bus maker has acquired three hectares of land to expand the plant. An official announcement by the manufacturer on electric bus production in France is still pending.

Media reports state that 250 additional jobs are planned with the conversion and modernisation of the new site. The bus news site revealed that both the 12-metre and the 18-metre versions of the eCitaro are to be built in Ligny-en-Barrois.

At the beginning of March, Daimler Buses announced that it would turn its German plant in Mannheim into a centre of excellence for e-city buses. From 2024 onwards, this will focus entirely on producing electrically powered city buses and become more involved in component production. From the second half of the decade, the second German plant in Neu-Ulm will also produce electrically powered intercity buses and, from the end of the decade, coaches with battery-electric and fuel cell drive systems.

At the Global Public Transport Summit (GPTS) from 4 to 7 June 2023 in Barcelona, Daimler Buses will present the eCitaro with a fuel cell as a range extender, which will be available as an articulated bus shortly afterwards.

Update 17 June 2024

According to a social media post, Daimler Busses France has presented the first eCitaro produced on-site at Ligny-en-Barrois in eastern France. The initial plan to produce the electric bus there from the first quarter of 2024 was apparently delayed, though the manufacturer did not give an explanation as to why.

Judging by the picture published by Daimler Buses, the electric bus now completed is a 12-metre version. The eCitaro is also available as an 18-metre variant. Both versions will be built in France.

sustainable-bus.com, linkedin.com (Update)