The battery-electric Citaro E-CELL and the hydrogen fuel-cell Citaro F-CELL are the next steps Daimler is taking on the road to expanding the company's lead in innovation power of the future. Both of them are based on the company's E-Mobility platform, so both powertrain concepts are expected to be brought to production standard as well as on the roads by 2018, according to Daimler's press release.

In addition to having a joint platform, the new buses will also share some other features, such as the same charging system design with plug-in technology and rooftop current collector system. The company's fourth-generation fuel cell bus is said to achieve hydrogen consumption of less than 10 kg/100 km, with availability of over 90%.

Reportedly, Daimler wishes to offer a modular bus, anticipating lower purchasing and maintenance costs. The bus will be boasting an urban design, while being customizable with interchangeable powertrains, depending on what the customer demands.