Daimler Buses expands public charging at Hamburg bus terminal
Following Cologne and Munich, Hamburg will host the brand's third public bus charging location – and it will be available to electric buses across brands. Initially, four charging stations with up to 600 kW of power are planned.
Image: Zentral-Omnibus-Bahnhof „ZOB“ Hamburg GmbH
To support the deployment of battery-electric buses on long-distance routes, Daimler Buses has taken on the role of a charge point operator: the manufacturer is now installing public charging stations for e-buses, with a focus on high-traffic tourist locations across Europe. Following initial sites in Cologne and Munich, the company is now turning its attention to Hamburg. The first four public chargers are set to be built at the city’s Central Bus Terminal, with the potential for expansion to eight charging points later on. A corresponding lease agreement with the operator ZOB Hamburg GmbH has already been signed with the approval of the municipal owner, and a building permit application has also been submitted. Daimler Buses aims to commission the Hamburg site next year.
Specifically, Hamburg will initially see four public charging stations with a power output of up to 600 kW, mirroring the setup at the Central Bus Terminal (ZOB) in Munich. The implementation is being carried out by Daimler Buses Solutions GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler Buses. The intention behind the project is to provide bus operators with a location where they can charge their e-buses on longer routes, regardless of the brand.
Plans for Hamburg include initial civil engineering work, the laying of high-voltage power lines, the construction of a transformer, and the subsequent installation of charging infrastructure. Daimler Buses has deliberately chosen this location: “With more than 80,000 bus movements per year, ZOB Hamburg is one of Germany’s largest long-distance bus hubs,” the company explains. “Central bus stations are particularly suitable locations for charging points because excursion and coach buses make scheduled stops there, either as an intermediate stop or as the terminus of a route. These scheduled dwell times can be used for charging. In addition, passenger facilities such as restrooms and food services are already available on site.”
Naturally, Daimler Buses aims to use its own charging stations to further improve public charging infrastructure for its first electric intercity bus, the Mercedes-Benz eIntouro. The model has been available for order since spring 2025, with the first customer vehicles set to be delivered in the coming weeks. Steffen Germ, CEO of Daimler Buses Solutions, commente: “Public charging infrastructure for electric buses is a key enabler of the electrification of excursion and coach travel. With our charging projects in Cologne, Munich, and Hamburg, we aim to provide an important boost for the use of electric buses on key travel routes across Germany. Buses can charge where they already stop according to schedule. This makes integration into existing operations easier and helps our customers use electric buses efficiently and economically.”
Within Daimler Truck AG, there is already extensive experience in building charging infrastructure: the company is involved in the Milence joint venture, which constructs heavy-duty vehicle-compatible fast chargers along motorways and freight corridors – some Milence charging parks near motorways may also be suitable for buses. However, a charging stop at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges does not exactly support the tourist use of e-buses. Through its 2023-founded charging subsidiary, Daimler Buses Solutions, the company has so far primarily advised its urban bus customers or planned, built and handed over turnkey charging infrastructure.
Now, Daimler Buses Solutions GmbH is set to electrify not only bus depots but also publicly accessible parking areas. The subsidiary is financing the charging stations and their operation itself, working “closely with experienced companies” during construction. Refinancing is to be achieved through the sale of electricity. “After commissioning, Daimler Buses Solutions will take over maintenance and technical operations with its own service team. Property owners thus benefit from a one-stop charging infrastructure solution—without any investment or major effort on their part,” the company stated when presenting the plans in autumn 2025.
The initiative began with a pilot project led by NRW.Energy4Climate, the state energy and climate protection agency, in collaboration with the city of Cologne: this year, four public fast-charging points for e-buses are also set to be established near the city centre. Specifically, these will be located at the Buspark Köln bus parking area on Kuhweg, west of the Rhine riverbank. This site is close to Niehl Port, north of the city centre, but is well-connected to public transport via the Slabystraße tram stop.
For Daimler Buses, the projects in Cologne, Munich and Hamburg are just the beginning, even though specific targets – such as a planned number of charging points by 2030 – have not been disclosed. However, in autumn 2024, Daimler Buses CEO Till Oberwörder emphasised that vehicles like the upcoming eIntouro are already ‘suitable for shorter trips’. These “currently represent the most practical use cases for electric buses outside urban public transport. The vehicle will thus already benefit from the expansion of public charging infrastructure,” said Oberwörder. “For a broader deployment of battery-electric intercity and coach buses, including services to more distant tourist destinations, however, a further expansion of public charging infrastructure is required.”
And, of course, the right vehicles are also needed: Daimler Buses plans to have battery-electric coaches in its portfolio “by the end of the decade,” with hydrogen fuel cell coaches to follow in the next step as series-production models. “The manufacturer will thus deliver the right product at the right time—when the infrastructure is ready,” the company states. This strategy also applies to trucks: among other reasons, due to the infrastructure framework not yet being in place, Daimler Truck has postponed its hydrogen fuel cell truck – despite functional prototypes in customer use – to the 2030s. Until then, the focus remains on battery technology, supported by existing but expandable infrastructure.
