Erste Kunden-Erprobungsfahrt des Mercedes-Benz eIntouro: mit EUROBUS vollelektrisch zum Europa-Park
First customer test drive of the Mercedes-Benz eIntouro: fully electric with EUROBUS to Europa-Park
The Mercedes-Benz eIntouro, the new battery-electric intercity bus from Daimler Buses, successfully completed its first customer test drive in April. The near-series prototype completed the approximately 380-kilometre test drive on the regular route of the so-called EUROBUS Rustexpress from Bassersdorf in Switzerland via Zurich to Europa-Park in Rust in Baden and back. On board, representatives of the Swiss bus travel company EUROBUS and Europa-Park were able to see the advantages of the all-electric bus for themselves. Until now, EUROBUS has operated the Rustexpress with conventionally motorised coaches, mostly from Daimler Buses.
Mirko Sgodda, Head of Marketing, Sales and Customer Services at Daimler Buses: ‘Before being launched on the market, all newly developed vehicle types at Daimler Buses have to undergo a very extensive testing phase. Of course, this also applies to the new eIntouro. We test the driving characteristics of the bus under a wide variety of conditions, such as recently during winter testing in the Arctic Circle at temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees. This also includes extensive testing in real customer applications. The test drive together with EUROBUS, the Swiss market leader, is the first of many to come in which the eIntouro will prove its performance and reliability.’
Made for shuttle journeys to Europa-Park
The eIntouro will celebrate its world premiere at the Busworld trade fair in Brussels in October. Production is scheduled to start in 2026. One of the first series vehicles will then be used on a Rustexpress line. Dr Thomas Knecht, owner of the Knecht Group, to which EUROBUS belongs: ‘Together with Europa-Park, we are working on concepts to make Rustexpress journeys even more climate-friendly. Our regular shuttle services cover a one-way distance of 200 to 300 kilometres with a subsequent waiting time of several hours. It makes perfect sense to utilise this waiting time and therefore operate the route with electric intercity buses and coaches. The Mercedes-Benz eIntouro is the first electric bus that fulfils our requirements in terms of seating capacity, equipment, ride comfort and range. The EUROBUS Group is a pioneer in the operation of electric buses in local public transport and will use this expertise productively for intercity buses. We are therefore very interested in this mobility solution.’
The test drive showed that the eIntouro’s two high-voltage batteries, with a total capacity of 414 kWh, have more than enough reserves to cover the almost 200 kilometres of individual routes, even with the heating or air conditioning switched on at any time of year. At the same time, the participants were impressed by the very quiet driving noise of the electric drive. According to one of the participants, this takes travelling comfort for passengers to a whole new level.
From the end of March to the beginning of January, EUROBUS operates seven daily routes from many regions of Switzerland to the Europa-Park adventure resort – travelling there in the morning and back in the evening. With 6 million visitors a year, Europa-Park is the most visited seasonal theme park in the world. Last year, the EUROBUS shuttle buses brought more than 60,000 visitors to Europa-Park.
The Mercedes-Benz eIntouro is based on the familiar, diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz Intouro high-floor bus, but has a purely battery-electric drive. This means that Daimler Buses is now making the switch to electromobility possible for the first time for classic intercity routes, school bus journeys and smaller journeys. In addition to the eIntouro with a length of 12.18 metres, there will also be the eIntouro M with a length of 13.09 metres. This will cover seating variants from 50 to a maximum of 63 seats. For the first time in a European bus, software updates can be installed ‘over the air’ in the eIntouro without a visit to the workshop.
You can read this and other articles on the subject of electromobility and autonomous driving in the current issue of eMove360° magazine in german language. Download the free PDF or order the print version in the shop.
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