Mercedes-Benz Vans plans to offer all its commercial van model lines with electric drive, starting with the mid-size eVito in the second half of 2018, and further model ranges will follow in 2019.
Mercedes-Benz Vans announced its commercial electric drive strategy at the eDrive@VANs workshop overnight in Berlin.
The strategy is based on five cornerstones – a holistic ecosystem, sector focus, commercial feasibility, co-creation and technology transfer - that Mercedes say is a total-system solution covering the entire value chain in the commercial sector.
Customer co-creation plays a central role in product development, integrating strategic partners and their sector expertise into the development process. The new eVito to be launched next year is the first Mercedes-Benz Vans production vehicle to have been developed using this approach.
“We are convinced by the necessity of electric drive in our vans, especially in city centre applications," says Volker Mornhinweg, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans.
"That said, electrification of the commercial fleet is not an end in itself, but follows the same principles as a classic drive when it comes to commercial feasibility.
"With our eDrive@VANs initiative, we’re showing that only holistic mobility solutions extending beyond the drive itself present a real alternative for commercial customers. The eVito is the starting point and will be followed by our new-generation Sprinter as well as the Citan.”
Mercedes-Benz say the new eVito will be configured for city-centre use with a range of around 150km, even with a full load and in unfavorable EV conditions such as colder climates.
The 41.4kWh battery can be fully charged in around six hours, and deliver output of 84kW and up to 300Nm of torque.
The eVito will have a top speed of up to 120 km/h, payload of 1,073kg and cargo volume of up to 6.6 m3. The battery sits beneath the vehicle to maximize load space. The maximum gross vehicle weight stands at 3,200gk.
The eVito will be followed in 2019 by the eSprinter and the line-up will then be rounded off by the Citan.
Mercedes-Benz Vans is currently transitioning from a pure vehicle manufacturer to provider of 'holistic mobility solutions' with the adVANce strategic future initiative launched in autumn 2016.
Under the adVANce umbrella, Mercedes-Benz Vans plans to invest around 500 million euros (NZ$858.9 million) by 2020 in a wide range of connectivity solutions into its vans, hardware solutions for the van sector and new mobility concepts.
-Driven