During a festive gala evening in Madrid, jury chairman Tom Terjesen presented the award to Josa Prinz, Associate Director and Head of Product Strategy, Program Management and Purchasing, of the Dortmund-based Tremonia. Six minibuses took part in the Minibus Euro Test 2024: Otokar with the eCentro (Turkey), Aveuro E Sprinter Electric (Romania), Bluebus 6m e-bus (France), Mercedes-Benz Reform-s City Max from Intertraction Electrics (Hungary) and the eUrban from Car-bus.net (Spain).
The international Bus and Coach jury organized the International Minibus Euro Test for the fourth time, with the Tremonia City 75 Electric as the winner, which can now call itself Minibus of the Year for a year. The organisation of the Minibus Euro Test is in the hands of the Spanish jury member and trade magazine Autobuses & Autocares under the inspiring leadership of editor-in-chief Miguel Seaz. FIAA and Ifema facilitate the jury in its task. The jury, consisting of 24 trade journalists from as many countries, was able to choose from six participating minibuses for this edition of the Minibus Euro Test. FIAA is a trade fair that is held every two years. In light of this, the jury decided to test minibuses for urban and regional transport in one edition and minibuses for small travel groups and longer distances in the next edition. This year it was the turn of the minibuses for public transport services. The minimum criteria that the participants must meet: the buses must be standard versions and up to nine metres long and any type of driveline is welcome.
The transition to electric drives is really getting underway. Electric projects are underway or being rolled out all over Europe. Five participants had an electric drive, one was still a conventional diesel bus. The jury gathered on Friday before the FIAA to test the vehicles for three days and to inspect them from top to bottom. The day before the official opening of FIAA, the jury met, during which all the core characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of the participants were reviewed. The test consists of a solid practical part, a technical explanation and background of the development of the product. The route was again designed in such a way that the strong and weak points of the vehicles would reveal themselves, such as a long descent to assess the recuperation behaviour. The jury then discusses each vehicle extensively before voting. This year, the award ceremony was at a fantastic gala evening with a performance of a spectacular musical popular in Spain about the history with Mexico.
Josa Prinz of Tremonia was totally surprised that 'his' City 75 Electric was crowned International Minibus of the Year. Two years ago, Tremonia took over the minibus production in Dortmund from what was then Evobus. The City 75 Electric only consists of a Sprinter nose and cabin at the front. The rest of the vehicle consists of a body developed in-house and a drivetrain purchased from the Lithuanian Elinta Motors. The whole convinced the jury with its solid construction and a well-balanced drivetrain. The interior is spacious and passengers (max 34) can move around easily. The two doors – double door at the front, single door at the rear – offer good accessibility, also for people with disabilities. The 8468 mm long Tremonia City 75 Electric has 126 kWh batteries on board, a 160 kW strong engine with a charging capacity of 13.2 kW, fast charging via a 120 kW CCS connection.