A new OMNIplus BusWorld Home in Winterthur
At its core: an electrical workshop for the eCitaro.
EvoBus (Switzerland) AG has laid the groundwork for a new era in company history. On a 20,000 m2 site in Winterthur-Wülflingen, a new bus and coach competence centre has been opened. Alongside new sales and administration buildings, a training centre and delivery halls for new vehicles, the location also offers a highly effective service point in the form of the OMNIplus BusWorld Home (BWH).
The new BusWorld Home has an impressive, unique and high-performance range of services on offer. Alongside a specialist electrics workshop for the Mercedes-Benz eCitaro, the range covers technical services, bodywork and paint, diagnostics, new vehicle preparation and a vehicle wash. In addition, one of the three European eCitaro training centres is located here in Winterthur.
A modern electrics workshop for the eCitaro
“By far the greatest challenge as we see it is in the trend towards electromobility,” says CEO Frank Scherhag. “We offer our customers the support services and planning security they need to make our cities more liveable through mobility solutions.” For this reason, the core of the new BusWorld Home is a specially equipped technical workshop for the electric Mercedes-Benz eCitaro.
Working safely at high voltages
The e-bus workshop has a 33-metre space for roof work over a 44-metre working pit. This is connected with the live electrical line workshop on a 105 m2 platform. This means the high-voltage batteries of the Mercedes-Benz eCitaro can be diagnosed both in an installed and dismounted state. If necessary, a crane can move individual modules from the roof of the bus to one of the lifting tables for battery repair. Naturally, other high voltage works on the electric drive axle, the inverters, the HV lines and fuses and the CO2 air conditioning system can also be carried out.
An impressive portfolio of workshop services
The new workshop area includes a paint shop for vehicles up to 24 metres long and a bodywork department. The 33-metre diagnostics pit is equipped with a brake test stand, steering joint play tester and headlamp beam alignment wall. In addition, the OMNIplus workshop offers new vehicle preparation and a three-brush wash machine with toilet drop facility.
Repairs made easy
Thanks to the modern equipment of the OMNIplus Service Point, all bus and coach repairs can be carried out with ease. Power units are also in the best hands at the competence centre. The OMNIplus experts are specialised in the repair of motors, transmission and axles. The in-floor chassis-straightening jig allows for overhauls of the vehicle chassis and repairs to the frame. A wheel lift and a scissor lift are available for cleaning the underbody. An underbody protection station rounds off the range.
A European training centre for e-buses
The BWH Winterthur is, after Mannheim and Dortmund, Daimler’s third European training centre for the Mercedes-Benz eCitaro. Using a multi-stage concept, it offers complete high-voltage training and targeted instruction for service employees in proper handling of electric vehicles and their high-voltage technology, as well as all the other courses listed on the syllabus.
“We are the most modern bus and coach competence centre and are comprehensively prepared for electromobility and electric motors,” says CEO Frank Scherhag, pointing out an important competitive advantage of the new-build on its 20,000 m2 site in Winterthur-Wülflingen. The OMNIplus BusWorld Home is an essential component here.
The new BusWorld Home in Winterthur in figures
- 45 x 115 metres of space
- A specialist workshop with a separate electrics workshop
- 33 metres of roof work space constructed over a 44-metre pit
- Paint shop for vehicles up to 24 metres in length
- Live line workshop 105 m2 in size
- European training centre for the eCitaro and low voltage plants
- 38 employees
