Augsburg public transport receives first Mercedes-Benz Citaro NGT

With its order for 13 Mercedes-Benz Citaro NGT (Natural Gas Technology) buses, the Augsburg-based public utility is remaining faithful to its environmentally friendly drive concept but, by opting for this particular classic among urban buses, wants to take passenger comfort to an even higher level. Augsburg is Germany’s first city to have an almost completely CO2-neutral bus fleet in service on its roads.

As part of its regular fleet-rejuvenation program, Augsburger Stadtwerke has now opted for the innovative Mercedes-Benz Citaro NGT. This bus is approved for the use of renewable natural gas to DIN 51624 without restriction and discernibly undercuts the noise level of its diesel-engined counterpart. Depending on the driving status, its noise emissions are up to 4 dB(A) lower, which corresponds to the subjectively perceived noise level almost being cut by half.

At the heart of the new Citaro NGT is the Mercedes-Benz M 936 G natural-gas engine. With a displacement of 7.7 l, it is currently the most compact natural-gas engine in its class: weighing in at just 747 kg including the precatalyst, the engine is a textbook example of successful downsizing.

The natural gas engine is based on the highly sophisticated OM 936 turbodiesel engine. The vertically installed six-cylinder in-line mono-fuel engine runs on CNG or biogas. It has an output of 222 kW (302 hp) at 2000 rpm while delivering a peak torque of 1200 Nm consistently from 1200 to 1600 rpm. In many instances, it undercuts the Euro VI emission limits by a considerable margin. These figures, in combination with its impressive power delivery, put the single-stage turbocharged engine on a par with its diesel counterpart.

https://www.ngvjournal.com/augsburger-stadtwerke-gets-first-mercedes-benz-citaro-ngt/