- Handover of Travego Edition 1 with Euro VI engine
- Touring coach for staff events, VIP transfers and shuttle services
On 11 December, Horst Hartmann, Head of Sales for the Mercedes-Benz Bus and Coach unit, Germany Region South, officially handed over a Mercedes-Benz Travego Edition 1 Euro VI to the adidas Group: Head of Human Resources Matthias Malessa and Hans-Peter Klein-Schell, Vice President Corporate Facilities + Services EMEA & Key Projects, chose the current flagship vehicle in the Mercedes-Benz range and, in opting for the Euro VI engine variant, have selected Mercedes-Benz’s environmentally cleanest touring coach. Travelling to staff and company events, or VIP shuttle services, at adidas will from now on be undertaken in far more eco-friendly and comfortable style. The vehicle was presented to senior staff and sponsors at the sports equipment manufacturer’s premises at Herzogenaurach in Germany.
2012 has certainly been a good year for the Travego Edition 1. In the spring it became the first touring coach with Euro VI engine to become available, and soon scooped up two awards: in Spain it won the title of “Coach of the Year” and then, in the summer, topped the Engineering category in a readers’ poll organised by the German professional journal “Busplaner”, where it was voted Innovation of the Year. For the last few months, the German national football squad has been using a Travego Edition 1 as an exclusive team vehicle, as has the league team VFB Stuttgart. adidas is now the latest name to join this exclusive group of customers.
Travego Edition 1
It is not only the technical capability of the Travego Edition 1 that is so impressive. Thanks to its fuel-efficient BlueEfficiency Power engines, it already meets the Euro VI emissions standard that comes into effect in 2014. The eight-speed Mercedes GO 250-8 PowerShift bus transmission introduced at the same time as the Travego Edition 1 is designed to take the pressure off the driver with such features as a special crawler mode, which makes delicate manoeuvring far easier. Technical features such as its largely wear- and maintenance-free clutch and a new-style steering-column shift lever, as well as a comprehensive package of safety equipment, add up to position the Mercedes-Benz touring coach as the top model in the product range.
The interior of the black and anthracite metallic-painted Travego has been appointed to meet the specific requirements of adidas. The 48 passenger seats, with Luxline upholstery, are complemented by two club tables with face-to-face seating in the rear of the coach. The panel above each pair of seats includes a service unit with air vents and reading lights. A small kitchen with stowage compartments, a hot-dog heater and a fridge is available to supply any catering needs, while a video/audio system with three 19-inch (48 cm) LCD monitors ensures that passengers are kept entertained. The onboard toilet can be used with either a water-flush or a chemical flushing system.
Centrepiece BlueEfficiency Euro VI
The eco-friendly and Euro VI-compliant engine in the Travego Edition 1 uses the vertically mounted six-cylinder in-line engine from the OM 471 series. Output is 350 kW (476 hp) at 1800 rpm from a displacement of 12.8 litres. Maximum torque is high, reaching 2300 Nm at 1100 rpm. A particular feature of the engine is its unique common-rail injection system with pressure booster (X-PULSE). This allows the very precise injection of fuel via cylinder-selective controls that can be modelled as required at injection pressures of up to 2100 bar – the prerequisite for low fuel consumption figures, low exhaust emissions and a smooth-running engine.
