Digital Services

For higher efficiency on intercity routes

Digital services optimise the use of the eCitaro fuel cell

Transport operators using the Mercedes-Benz eCitaro fuel cell benefit in particular from online communication between the control centre and the vehicle. The Bus Data Centre installed as standard provides continuously up-to-date diagnostic data about the vehicle for this purpose. Telematics services use the data to generate an overview in the OMNIplus ON Portal and can be used in a variety of ways in the form of digital services.

For example, OMNIplus ON digital services support transport operations in recognising technical malfunctions at an early stage, optimising energy consumption or improving the driving style of drivers. Even the range of the eCitaro fuel cell can be optimised individually with remote-controlled energy mix selection and preconditioning.

With the bidirectional service Remote Charge Control from OMNIplus ON, the eCitaro fuel cell can be easily charged and preconditioned remotely.

Remote Charge Control optimises energy consumption
Remote Charge Control proves that the Bus Data Centre is also able to receive data. With the digital service that can be booked in the OMNIplus ON Portal, eBus fleets can be preconditioned at the depot so that they can start the day perfectly prepared. Control commands are forwarded directly from the control centre to the corresponding components on board.

The advantage. This means that all batteries are charged on time at the start of the trip and the interior is already pre-conditioned. This extends the range of the bus because the energy for the climate control does not have to be drawn from the batteries right away at the start of the journey.

In the case of the eCitaro fuel cell, Remote Charge Control has another feature that also has a positive impact on the range and economy of the bus. Depending on the infrastructure, topography and operating conditions, it is possible to determine for each eCitaro fuel cell what proportion of the drive energy is taken from the batteries and how much is to be supplied with the help of the hydrogen-powered fuel cell.

Data transfer, but secure
Safety is a top priority at Daimler Buses – this also applies to data security during remote control using Remote Charge Control. Like all buses from Daimler Buses, the eCitaro fuel cell is homologated in accordance with the latest legal provisions for cybersecurity and therefore also complies with the new regulation UN ECE R155. This will be mandatory for all vehicles from July 2024. Daimler Buses even goes one step further and has also homologated the radio link for data transmission from the vehicle to the server in accordance with UN ECE R155. This means that the eCitaro fuel cell offers the highest level of cyber security at all times.

"The Bus Data Centre installed as standard in the eCitaro fuel cell delivers current vehicle data to the control centre in real time."

Manage fleets more efficiently with OMNIplus ON monitor
For a better overview, the individual telematics services in the OMNIplus ON Portal have been divided into four service areas: advance (maintenance and workshop), monitor (fleet management), drive (driver) and commerce (eShop).

With OMNIplus ON monitor, consumption data can be analysed, buses can be localised, travel times recorded and routes designed more efficiently. Transport companies receive valuable information via telematics to be even more economical on the road and to provide their drivers with optimal support.

The digital usage monitoring tool “Consumption analysis” provides transport companies with up-to-date consumption information about their eCitaro fuel cell at all times. For this purpose, the energy and hydrogen consumption is clearly broken down in the OMNIplus ON Portal for the drive, climate control and auxiliary consumers areas. This provides you with a comprehensive basis for carrying out analyses in order to identify unnecessary peaks in energy consumption and to make better use of energy saving potentials.

An important aspect here is the option of documenting routes and optimising them where necessary. With geodata-based OMNIplus ON location services, dispatchers can not only follow the vehicle live, but also receive notifications once the vehicle has arrived at its destination.

By the way, the “Logbook” feature is already included when booking OMNIplus ON Tracking Services. It summarises all relevant information about the trip – from fuel and energy consumption to recording vehicle-related events.

In the event of fault messages, OMNIplus ON Uptime pro provides specific recommendations for action and thereby prevents expensive malfunctions and repairs.

Uptime pro helps prevent breakdowns
Predictive maintenance is a major issue in the advance service area. The current service highlight is OMNIplus ON Uptime pro, which poses a special benefit to transport operators running their own workshop. Transport companies can proactively manage repair and maintenance management and thereby avoid complex processes. Remote diagnostic information provides real-time certainty about the condition of the entire fleet without workshop staff having to connect the vehicle to the diagnostic device.

In addition, dispatchers can access messages from the driver’s display, making communication much easier in the event of an emergency. The system immediately interprets critical fault messages and automatically derives concrete recommendations for action for the workshop. This prevents expensive malfunctions and repairs from happening in the first place.

Another advantage of the system: once certain threshold values are exceeded or not reached, an automated fault message is triggered. If a bus has reached critical status values, the system uses complex algorithms to calculate an up-to-date assessment of the severity. This helps the dispatcher decide whether the vehicle needs to be replaced and brought into the workshop.

With the OMNIplus ON data packages, the data from the eCitaro fuel cell can be provided via an Internet-based interface (API) for processing and analysis in the existing system.

Data packages for mixed fleets
Transport companies with a mixed fleet and existing fleet management and control systems can also use OMNIplus ON digital services. The data packages that can be booked individually in the eShop prepare the data from the eCitaro fuel cell via an Internet-based interface (API) for processing and analysis in the existing systems.

Several data packages are available for the eCitaro fuel cell, which enable the evaluation and analysis of the data to varying degrees.

The Data Package light includes essential data points from the categories of warning indicators, drivetrain, brakes, windows, doors and operating resources. Vehicle position data is also included. In addition to the data from the light package, Data Package Plus contains more than 200 additional data points from the categories of high-voltage system, heating, ventilation, climate control, driver assistance systems and suspension. The Data Package driver display transfers all displays on the driver’s display to the control centre in real time and thereby facilitates driver communication.

The particularly powerful Data Package diagnostic provides online access to all available remote diagnostic data – including the high-voltage and hydrogen system. If a repair is required, an initial fault analysis is performed and displayed in a quick test, which contains all active and stored fault codes together with a fault description.

To overview

22.05.24 22.05.24 Daimler Buses GmbH OMNIplus

"The Bus Data Centre installed as standard in the eCitaro fuel cell delivers current vehicle data to the control centre in real time."

Vehicle data for improved service quality

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