Fire in Stuttgart bus depot «could have been caused by e-bus charging». Munich takes 8 e-buses out of service

Some travellers are now unwilling to board any of the local e-buses, according to at least one TV report. Looks like yet another lithium-ion event.
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A large fire event in Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen (SBB)’s depot, in Gaisberg, destroyed 25 buses on Thursday 30th September, says Sustainable Bus.

A few days ago, a first assessment by the police, reported on many German media, said that the fire could have been caused by an electric bus during charging procedure.

As reported on the Zeit, this is the conclusion of the investigators after checking the data of the fire alarm system and the temperature sensors, a police spokeswoman announced. However, further investigations are necessary.

Electric bus charging caused fire in Stuttgart?

The blaze completely destroyed 25 buses of different models and kinds, including two with electric drives (SBB has four e-buses in its fleet, two Volvo and two Mercedes). The vehicles involved in the fire are reported as being Mercedes e-Citaro.

Six SSB employees received medical attention during the fire.

As a consequence of Stuttgart’s event, MVG Munich is taking out of service eight electric buses, as reported yesterday on Merkur.de. It has been decided as safety precaution.

The measure only applies to buses of the same type and initially only until the cause of the fire has been finally clarified, MVG says. It means that Mercedes e-Citaro are being taken out of the roads.

Full article here.