• Electric charging system at the Stuttgart-Möhringen bus depot of Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen AG (SSB) put into operation
• As general contractor, Daimler Buses is responsible for turnkey and single-source installation of the complete charging infrastructure of SSB
• 28 charging points with pantographs and a charging capacity of up to 180 kW
• State of Baden-Württemberg promotes charging infrastructure and electric buses
• Daimler Buses is building second charging installation at the SSB depot in Stuttgart-Gaisburg with 37 charging points
• The first stage of construction in Gaisburg is scheduled to start operation in late autumn 2025
• 20 eCitaro G and eCitaro G fuel cell articulated buses are already in operation in Stuttgart; a further 43 eCitaro solo and articulated buses will follow successively by October 2026

Leinfelden-Echterdingen/Stuttgart – A key milestone for fully electric scheduled service buses in the city centre is being reached in Stuttgart: on 4 September 2025, the charging infrastructure of Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen AG (SSB) at the Stuttgart‑Möhringen bus depot was put into operation. In addition to numerous high‑ranking representatives of SSB, politics and Daimler Buses, Baden‑Württemberg’s Minister of Transport Winfried Hermann was also present at the ceremony held at the company premises on Schockenriedstraße.

The entire charging system, with 28 charging points and a charging capacity of up to 180 kW, was installed by Daimler Buses as general contractor. Turnkey implementation with all trades from a single source took place in close cooperation with experts from Daimler Buses Solutions GmbH and their partners, Omexom and Power Electronics. The state of Baden-Württemberg has supported the construction of the Möhringer charging system for local public transport with a grant of around 13 million euros in accordance with the German State Municipal Transport Financing Act (LGVFG).

“The construction of the charging infrastructure for SSB in the immediate vicinity of our company headquarters here in Stuttgart-Möhringen is something special for us. With our complete package of charging points, electric buses and services, we are supporting SSB in advancing the electrification of local public transport in our metropolitan region, and thus becoming a role model for public transport operators in many other cities.” says Till Oberwörder, CEO of Daimler Buses.

“The state capital of Stuttgart has set itself the goal of using emission-reduced electric buses on all city centre scheduled service bus lines by 2027. For SSB, the switch to locally CO2‑free buses is the biggest transformation in nearly a hundred years of scheduled bus services in Stuttgart,” emphasises Thomas Moser, Chair of the Board and Technical Board of SSB. “What we can jointly achieve by replacing around 80 diesel buses through procurement of new electric buses, including charging infrastructure, in terms of advantages and the favourable image of future-oriented ‘green’ public transport sends out a clear signal.”

Simultaneous charging of up to 28 SSB electric buses in Stuttgart-Möhringen

By the end of April 2025, Daimler Buses had already delivered ten battery‑electric eCitaro G articulated buses and ten eCitaro G fuel cell buses from Mercedes-Benz with three doors, modern assistance and safety systems and high-quality equipment to SSB. They all feature the latest NMC3 battery generation. The eCitaro G fuel cell buses are also equipped with a fuel cell as a range extender and the new option of pure hydrogen operation as a drive alternative. A further 43 solo and articulated buses, a mixture of the Mercedes‑Benz eCitaro, eCitaro G and eCitaro G fuel cell, some of which are already equipped with the new NMC4 battery generation, will be delivered successively by Daimler Buses to SSB by October 2026.

Up to 28 SSB electric buses can be simultaneously charged overnight at the 28 charging points installed at the Stuttgart-Möhringen depot. Additional buses can also be charged during the day. The charging process takes place via the integrated pantographs mounted on the charging system frame, which lower to touch the charging rails on the bus roofs in a charging process known as “panto down” charging.

At a charging voltage of up to 720 volts, a charging power of up to 180 kW is transmitted, depending on the charge level of the battery pack of the buses. In the SSB fleet, for example, the seven high-voltage traction batteries of the Mercedes-Benz eCitaro G articulated buses have a total storage capacity of up to 686 kWh. Mercedes-Benz eCitaro G fuel cell buses are equipped with four NMC3 high-voltage battery packs with a total energy capacity of 392 kWh and six hydrogen tanks with a total capacity of 30 kilograms of H2. This enables each electric bus to cover up to 200 kilometres without recharging. By controlling the load via a load management system, the SSB has maximum flexibility when disengaging the vehicles, but retains maximum efficiency through load control.

Sustainable and future-proof charging infrastructure from a single source

Up until the turnkey charging infrastructure was put into service at the SSB depot in Stuttgart‑Möhringen, Daimler Buses’ services included not only the installation of the charging hardware, but also the entire steel work, the complete electrical installation, and the installation of the Sinos charging management system. In addition, a service and maintenance contract with a term of three years was concluded, which includes a 24/7 hotline with on‑site service, all spare parts, and the annual maintenance and electrical safety check in accordance with the current laws and the regulations of the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) for all pantographs, charging systems and chargers. As general contractor, Daimler Buses supplies all components of the entire service package from a single source.

The individual switch-off modules function completely autonomously. Charging management creates the optimal charging profile for each vehicle and can be operated both cloud-based and locally.

Daimler Buses is building another charging installation for SSB in Stuttgart-Gaisburg

At the SSB bus depot in Stuttgart-Gaisburg, Daimler Buses is currently building another charging system with 37 charging points, 33 of which are designed for charging by inverted pantographs and 4 for CCS2 plug-in charging. The first stage of construction of the charging system in Gaisburg is scheduled to start in late autumn 2025. Once completed, the SSB will be able to charge a total of 65 buses overnight. In addition to the charging infrastructure in the bus depots, the construction of intermediate charging stations along individual inner-city lines is also planned.

With a grant of over 24 million euros for the two charging installations at the depots in Stuttgart‑Möhringen and Stuttgart‑Gaisburg, with their total of 65 charging points, the state is supporting SSB in the transition to a battery-electric fleet. The state is also providing a grant of around 3 million euros towards the procurement of the battery buses in 2025.