French transit company orders 10 eCitaro buses

French transit company Métropole Rouen Normandie has ordered 10 Mercedes-Benz eCitaro electric buses.

A transit operator in northwest France has added 10 new Mercedes-Benz eCitaro electric buses to its fleet.

“We’re putting our trust in 100% electrified buses,” said Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, chair of Métropole Rouen Normandie, whose fleet covers the city of Rouen and 70 predominantly small municipalities.

Métropole Rouen Normandie’s Astuce public transport network has a fleet of more than 200 buses, some of which are used for a range of services. The region has around half a million inhabitants and doesn’t just have traditional bus routes, but also runs school buses, rapid bus lines, a BRT system, a night bus line, not to mention a Metro connection and five lines for on-demand transport. All in all, the network covers more than 18 million km annually.

The 10 new eCitaro buses will be delivered this summer. The order from France comprises eight buses with the latest generation of NMC batteries which have an energy capacity of 396 kWh each, as well as two additional buses equipped with solid-state batteries with a capacity of 441 kWh. The buses will be charged in the Rouen depot. All of the vehicles incorporate a charging socket at the front right of the bus as well as another at the rear.