Mercedes-Benz O 305 OE

The Mercedes-Benz O 305 OE was a hybrid bus based on the O 305, of which 20 were built between 1979 and 1981 and used in regular service by two transport operators from 1979 to 1985. Thirteen ran with the Stuttgarter Strassenbahnen on line 70 from Plieningen over Degerloch to Hoffeld, and seven with the Kreis Reeser Verkehrsbetriebe, later NIAG, in Wesel. The bus was driven by an electric motor that drew its energy from a battery on the roof. The battery was charged by recovering braking energy, by a diesel engine and from the mains at a charging station. The project was funded by the federal research ministry and by the states of Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia. When the funding ended, Mercedes-Benz did not develop the hybrid technology further.