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NEWS

Mercedes-Benz eCitaro fuel cell defies

extreme cold and steep passes

At the beginning of June, Mercedes-Benz showcased the new eCitaro fuel cell
for the very first time, the first regular-service bus with a fuel cell to extend the
range. Before the start of series production, the eCitaro fuel cell had to pass
numerous functional and safety tests. This also included a winter alpine crossing –
a test run with many challenges.

At the beginning of 2023, a team of Mercedes-Benz test engineers went to the Alps with the eCitaro fuel cell in order
to test its cold-starting behaviour in winter temperatures and to try out the newly developed thermal management
system. At the same time, the runs at elevations of more than 1700 metres above sea level were intended to provide
insights into the function of the fuel cell system at extreme altitudes. The new drive system also had to prove its
performance on demanding mountain pass runs with uphill and downhill gradients of as much as 15 percent. Last but
not least, the energy consumption was of great interest in these challenging conditions.

On the road with the e-bus test team
“During the journey, test engineers constantly monitored countless measuring points and data,” explained
test manager Jonas Steinki. Besides the temperatures of the battery, fuel cell, engines and passenger
compartment, these also include the energy consumption of the drive, the heating and other auxiliary
consumers, the charge level of the batteries and the fill level of the hydrogen tanks. Test engineers Rainer
Bickel, Stephan Lutz and Hannes Mayer continuously checked the most important parameters of the
fuel cell system, drive, thermal management and heating on their monitors, looking for anomalies and
comparing the data with the calculated target values.

Good energy balance thanks to thermal management and high recuperation
On the way across the Fern pass, it soon became clear that the eCitaro fuel cell was capable of dealing
with the demanding route even better than expected. “Despite the gradient, the fuel cell operated within
the most efficient power range of 20 to 30 kW,” explained Rainer Bickel, pointing to the corresponding
value on the monitor. “What’s more, the new thermal management reuses the waste heat from the fuel cell
to control the interior temperature. The electric heating is therefore hardly used so that the overall energy
consumption of all the auxiliary units, such as heating, steering and compressor, remains at a very low
level.”

60 www.ticariaraclardunyasi.com T July-August 2023 / 2063 / 206
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