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Ljubljana’s public transport operator, LPP, has added 35 Mercedes-Benz buses: 25 battery-electric eCitaros and 10 eCitaro G Fuel Cell articulated buses. The fleet expansion is paired with charging and hydrogen infrastructure, but LPP has not disclosed the buses’ exact configurations, investment cost or operating ranges.
Ljubljana’s municipal transport operator, Ljubljanski Potniški Promet (LPP), has added 35 Mercedes-Benz electric buses to its fleet over the past year: 25 battery-electric eCitaros and 10 eCitaro G Fuel Cell articulated buses. The purchase brings battery and hydrogen-powered vehicles into the Slovenian capital’s public transport system, alongside new charging and hydrogen infrastructure, according to a report by electrive.
The 35 vehicles form what LPP describes as the largest fleet modernisation project in the operator’s history. The report does not state how much the buses and associated infrastructure cost, or disclose the precise configurations ordered. That means the fleet’s exact battery capacities and operating ranges cannot be confirmed from the published information.
LPP is using the battery-electric eCitaros mainly on urban routes with predictable schedules and regular opportunities to recharge. The fuel-cell buses are intended to complement them on routes where greater range and operational flexibility are needed. The fuel-cell system acts as a range extender alongside a smaller battery; it does not make the buses battery-free.
The report says LPP has also built the charging and hydrogen infrastructure needed for the new vehicles and developed operating procedures for the different drivetrains. The buses are from Mercedes-Benz, while Autocommerce is identified as the manufacturer’s general distributor partner in Slovenia. The published account does not list route assignments, delivery dates for individual vehicles or service frequency.
Two Electric Drivetrains for Ljubljana
The addition gives LPP two forms of locally CO₂-free operation to use according to route demands: battery buses for services with dependable charging opportunities, and fuel-cell buses where the operator seeks more range flexibility. The distinction matters because a fleet’s performance depends not only on the vehicle, but also on where and how it can be charged or refuelled.
For passengers, the announcement signals a substantial change in the vehicles available to operate Ljubljana’s public transport, but it does not establish how quickly older buses will be retired or whether service levels will change. For the city, the project connects transport investment with its participation in the European 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities initiative. The report does not quantify emissions reductions or provide a comparison with the buses being replaced, so the scale of any climate benefit cannot yet be measured from the available figures.
Using both technologies also requires LPP to maintain and operate different energy systems. The accompanying infrastructure and staff processes are part of the project, rather than an optional addition: without suitable charging and hydrogen supply, the new buses could not serve their intended roles. Whether the mixed fleet proves cost-effective or improves reliability over time has not been reported.
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How LPP Plans to Use Each Bus
The vehicle split follows the route strategy described in the report. LPP expects to place battery-electric buses on urban services with regular schedules and charging opportunities. The eCitaro G Fuel Cell articulated buses combine a battery with a fuel cell that can extend operating range, and are intended for routes requiring more flexibility.
Electrive reports that Mercedes-Benz’s solo eCitaro can theoretically carry up to 666 kWh of energy. For the articulated fuel-cell variant, it gives a battery capacity of up to 392 kWh and a fuel-cell output of 60 kW. These are model-level specifications in the report, not confirmed figures for the exact buses LPP acquired. Since the operator’s ordered configurations were not disclosed, they should not be treated as the fleet’s specific capacity or range.
The development is linked to Ljubljana’s participation in the European 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities initiative, which supports cities pursuing climate neutrality. The available report gives no timetable for further fleet purchases or a target date for completing LPP’s wider fleet renewal.
“Over the past year, we have built a locally CO₂-free fleet based on both battery-electric and hydrogen technology. Together, they create the foundation for reliable and future-ready public transport.”
— Dr. Rok Vihar, CEO of LPP
Purchase Cost and Bus Specifications
The report does not disclose the purchase price or total investment, including the cost of charging and hydrogen facilities. It also does not identify the exact battery and fuel-cell configurations LPP ordered. As a result, the buses’ precise capacity, range and operating costs cannot be established from the reported information.
Other details remain unavailable, including which routes will receive the buses, how many are currently in passenger service, what vehicles they replace and whether LPP plans further purchases. The report also provides no measured emissions savings, reliability results or comparison of lifetime costs between the two technologies. Those outcomes should not be inferred from the fleet count or the operator’s stated goals.
Fleet Operations and Results
The immediate next step is for LPP to operate the vehicles using the charging and hydrogen infrastructure it has put in place. The report does not give a schedule for publishing route assignments or operating data. Future information from LPP could clarify how the buses are distributed across services and whether their intended roles differ in practice.
Details on actual energy use, service reliability, emissions and operating costs would help show how the mixed fleet performs against the buses it replaces. No specific release date for those figures, further purchases or a broader fleet-renewal milestone has been announced in the source report.
Key Questions
How many buses has Ljubljana’s transport operator added?
LPP added 35 Mercedes-Benz buses over the past year: 25 battery-electric eCitaros and 10 eCitaro G Fuel Cell articulated buses.
Are all 35 buses battery-electric?
No. The reported fleet addition includes 25 battery-electric buses and 10 buses that combine a battery with a hydrogen fuel cell used as a range extender.
What routes will the new buses serve?
LPP says it primarily plans to use battery-electric models on urban routes with predictable schedules and regular charging opportunities. The fuel-cell buses are intended for routes needing greater range and flexibility. Specific route assignments have not been disclosed.
How much did the buses cost, and what range do they have?
The source report does not give the investment amount or LPP’s exact vehicle configurations. It therefore does not establish the fleet’s actual per-bus cost, battery capacity or operating range.
Does the purchase establish how much emissions will fall?
No emissions-reduction figure is provided. LPP describes the fleet as locally CO₂-free, but the report does not quantify savings or compare emissions with the vehicles being replaced.
Source: electrive.com
