Dutch public transport operator HTM procures 95 eCitaro

The transport company HTM in The Hague, Netherlands, announced the procurement of 95 electric buses and the associated charging infrastructure from Daimler subsidiary EvoBus. And the latter will get a new name in July.

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The order is preliminary and will officially be awarded on 7 July, after all parties have formally approved. It includes the delivery of 95 eCitaro, consisting of an undefined mix of solo and articulated buses, as well as the required charging infrastructure. It also has an option for more electric buses in the future. The new electric buses will replace HTM’s current natural gas buses from the middle of 2024 onwards. Details on the battery variants and charging concepts ordered are not yet known.

According to HTM, several well-known bus manufacturers had submitted bids in the tender. “EvoBus emerged as the best bidder with its offer,” the statement says. “The bids evaluated in terms of passenger aspects, price, technology, reliability, maintenance and design.”

With 95 vehicles, this is one of the biggest electric bus orders for EvoBus, and it could become even bigger. This week, parent company Daimler Truck reported that over 1,000 eCitaro have already been built.

However, the 95 eCitaro for HTM will probably not be manufactured by EvoBus GmbH. Daimler Truck announced that the latter would bear the same name as the group’s bus division from 12 July and be called “Daimler Buses GmbH”. That way, EvoBus will benefit from the recognition of the Daimler brand. The associated national companies and the EvoBus Service Centre, once called “BusWorld Home”, will also be rebranded as Daimler Buses. EvoBus GmbH was founded 28 years ago, resulting from the merger between Mercedes-Benz Omnibusse and the Kässbohrer brand Setra.

“With EvoBus, we have been very successful for almost three decades and we are proud of that. We are now looking forward to a new chapter as Daimler Buses GmbH – and we have a lot in store for ourselves,” says Till Oberwörder, CEO Daimler Buses. “We want to lead the transformation of our industry to emission-free mobility and win over customers and talent. The new name will help us achieve this because operating under this brand will mean we won’t have to do much explaining.”

Update 10 July 2023

HTM now has placed a firm order with Daimler Buses for what was previously a provisional contract. Daimler Buses will thus deliver at least 95 battery-electric solo and articulated city buses of the Mercedes-Benz eCitaro and eCitaro G types to the city of The Hague by 2024, together with the infrastructure required for their operation. In addition to delivering at least 95 electric buses, Daimler Buses will also be responsible for planning and installing the complete charging infrastructure and management. The complete package for HTM also includes the necessary civil engineering measures for the HTM depot in The Hague.

sustainable-bus.com, htm.nl (in Dutch), daimlertruck.com (rebranding), daimlertruck.com (update)