The first commercial vehicle with 48 volt technology

Another big plus point of the Citaro hybrid is that it does without an elaborate high-voltage network with all the accompanying restrictions and safety requirements. The city bus is the first commercial vehicle to come with a separate 48 volt network, similar to that found on hybrid passenger cars from Mercedes-Benz.

Low weight, takes up little space, height largely unchanged

A key benefit of the compact and technically straightforward design of the supplementary hybrid drive is that it takes up little space, so the vehicle's outer contours remain unchanged, as does the interior – there is no loss of passenger seating. The only change is a modified maintenance hatch in the floor area.

The hybrid drive adds just 156 kg to the vehicle's weight, which is a fraction of the weight of other electric drive systems. As a result, there is just a marginal reduction in total passenger capacity that is insignificant in practice: the standard-specification Citaro hybrid with diesel engine offers space for up to 105 passengers as a rigid bus with a permissible GVW of 18 t and 159 passengers as an articulated bus.