Daimler Buses targets 2028 for first ground-up electric eCitaro

Daimler Buses has shown a near-production prototype of its next Mercedes-Benz eCitaro — the first city bus in the range engineered as electric from day one — with market launch set for 2028.

The current eCitaro has been delivered more than 4,600 times, but it sits on a platform that was first drawn up for diesel drivetrains. The successor changes that, and the spec sheet shows how deep the rework goes.

What changes under the floor?

The battery chemistry switches from nickel-manganese-cobalt to lithium iron phosphate — a cost- and safety-driven move that most of the industry is now making. Capacity scales in packs of roughly 50 kWh, with six to 12 packs fitted on solo buses depending on range requirements.

Charging comes at up to 450 kW, via pantograph or rail. That's a meaningful jump for depot and terminus infrastructure planning.

The articulated version sheds around 750 kg. Part of that comes from the drivetrain layout: ZF's AxTrax 2 LF portal axle delivers up to 360 kW on low-floor models, which means the articulated bus needs only one driven axle instead of two. A new controller manages braking and recuperation wheel by wheel.

Takeaway: fewer driven axles, lighter frame, cheaper cells — this is a bus designed to make the business case for electrification, not just the brochure.

Where will it be built?

Production is planned across three countries: France, Germany and the Czech Republic. The public premiere lands at Busworld Europe in October 2027, giving Daimler roughly a year of runway before the 2028 market launch.

Till Oberwörder, Chief Executive of Daimler Buses, framed the industrial commitment plainly: "We are clearly committed to Germany and Europe as business locations: This is where we are developing and producing the next generation of our electric city bus. Europe has the expertise and the industrial base for the mobility of the future."

He didn't stop there. "The EU must create the right conditions to ensure that industrial value creation here remains competitive. To achieve this, we need simple and consistent rules across national borders, without exceptions. And we need them now, not in the next decade."

What's the politics behind it?

Daimler Buses is lobbying Brussels to delay its coach CO₂ target to 2033, citing the slow rollout of chargers. So the company is pushing hard on city-bus electrification while asking for more time on coaches — a distinction it clearly considers commercially rational.

Whether the EU obliges is a separate question. The charging-infrastructure complaint is shared across the commercial-vehicle sector, and Daimler is unlikely to be the last manufacturer to link product timing to policy timing.

Takeaway: the engineering is ready before the infrastructure, and Daimler wants regulators to acknowledge the gap.

What to watch next

Three dates matter: the Busworld Europe premiere in October 2027, the 2028 market launch, and any Brussels decision on the coach CO₂ deadline. The prototype's numbers are confirmed; the production ramp across three plants is, for now, a stated plan. Watch whether the 450 kW charging rate survives into series fleets, and whether LFP supply holds.