This morning the doors open at the Farnborough International Exhibition Centre to their very first ITT Hub event. Having been postponed from last year, the exhibition, which features trucks, buses and vans plus much more has been very much anticipated and well supported by the industry. Fleet Bus & Coach is in attendance to keep you up to date with the goings on.
Many of the top manufacturers and suppliers to the industry are in attendance, some of which are availing of the occasion to premiere their latest products and services such as:
Evobus, Harris Maxus, Ilesbus, Pelican Bus & Coach (Yutong), ADL, BYD, EVM, Wrightbus & Caentao.
Last night on a dampish evening the locals celebrated a famous and long awaited victory of the English football team over long-time rivals Germany in the Euros, setting the mood for what promises to be a very special event. However, there was some German class on site as Mercedes-Benz used the event to launch the right hand drive (RHD) version of the eCitaro.
ITT Hub, a new, dynamic event for the transport and logistics sector
The UK & Irish economy will take a huge amount of rebuilding after the Covid-19 pandemic and transport will play a vital part in that recovery on the road to net-zero. ITT Hub 2021 brings together the latest thinking and technology which are reshaping the transport and logistics landscape, taking place at a significant moment for the sector.
Mirroring the importance of innovation and technology across the wider transport marketplace, the event well supported by the industry partners, advisory board, trade associations, commercial companies, government and non-government organisations.
ITT Hub provides plenty of opportunities to interact and network with the who’s who of the industry throughout the next two-days, including a networking reception on the first evening.
New Mercedes-Benz eCitaro in RHD for the Irish & UK markets
Mercedes-Benz Bus would be the first to acknowledge it was not the first to the market with an electric bus, but it also claimed that it would prefer to be the best rather than the first. Citaro is already a well proven product with over 50,000 units on the road worldwide. Effectively Mercedes-Benz has electrified a successful modal and are ready to compete. While the engineering of the bus is very different, it retains the style and sturdiness of the tried and tested Citaro. Evobus in the UK will start taking the bus to Irish customers in the coming months, with orders being taken, with deliveries expected in the early part of next year. Neil Gladstone of Evobus is confident that the eCitaro will be well received and with the electric version, help to retain the brand’s share of the market.
Some of the features of the test vehicle include capacity for 80 passengers, 26 USB sockets, a range of over 150km and a variety of safety items such as, sideguard and active brake assist. Fleet Bus & Coach was treated to a short drive around the exhibition centre and to sum it up briefly, the bus is quiet, smooth and rattle free. (see full report in the next edition).
