Daimler Buses and Partners Reach Important Milestone on the Road to the Electric Coach

• Daimler Buses and partners have reached a key milestone in the ELCH project with a joint test drive of a battery-electric coach prototype designed for over 500 km range.

• The project aims to develop and validate a market-ready electric coach concept focusing on drive system, battery, energy efficiency, aerodynamics, lightweight construction, and economic viability.

• The consortium includes research institutes and industry partners contributing expertise in vehicle data analysis, lightweight design, economic assessment, and real-world operational data.

• The project supports Daimler Buses' goal to offer battery-electric coaches by the end of the decade, with findings guiding future electrification efforts; the project is funded by the German government and continues until 2026.

• Joint Test Drive Marks Important Milestone in the Funded Project

• In-Person Consortium Meeting of Project Partners in Neu-Ulm

• Project Goal: Development of a Market-Ready Battery-Electric Coach with a Range of More than 500 Kilometers

• Findings Will Contribute to the Further Development of Future Electric Coaches from Daimler Buses

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Daimler Buses and its project partners have reached an important milestone in the funded “Electrified Coach” project, known as “ELCH” for short: At the beginning of October, the project partners came together in Neu-Ulm for their final in-person consortium meeting. The highlight of the meeting was a joint drive in the technology demonstrator developed as part of the project, which is designed for a range of more than 500 kilometers. The funded project will continue until the end of 2026.

Through the funded project, Daimler Buses and its project partners are working to create the technological and economic prerequisites for the electric coach of the future. The objective is to develop and validate a market-ready battery-electric coach concept. In addition to the drive system and battery, the project also focuses on topics such as energy consumption, aerodynamics, lightweight construction, economic viability, and practical suitability for coach operations. The results of the project will provide an important basis for the further electrification of the coach segment at Daimler Buses. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.

The joint drive in Neu-Ulm served to test and validate the technical concepts under practical conditions. The project partners also used the meeting to discuss the progress made to date and coordinate the next steps leading up to the completion of the funded project.

Researchers and Industry Experts Work Together on the Electric Coach

Daimler Buses is coordinating the funded project together with renowned research and industry partners. The consortium comprises the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT, ITIV institute), the University of Mannheim (MISES), the University of Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU), represented by the iMAD and SAM institutes, and the Flix SE. Together, the project partners are examining the technical, economic, and operational prerequisites for the use of battery-electric coaches in long-distance transport.

KIT contributes its expertise in the analysis and processing of vehicle data and is working to optimize the operating strategy of the electric coach. Researchers at RPTU are investigating potential improvements in the areas of lightweight construction and aerodynamics to further enhance energy consumption and range. MISES is assessing the economic viability of battery-electric coach concepts for different usage profiles and analyzes their competitiveness. Flix is contributing real-world operational and deployment data from long-distance coach services and supporting the development of practical application and driving cycles.

Contribution to Daimler Buses’ Electrification Strategy

The project makes an important contribution to Daimler Buses’ electrification strategy. The company aims to offer battery-electric coaches by the end of the decade. The findings from the project will provide an important basis for the further development of corresponding vehicle concepts and technologies.