Mercedes-Benz Vans, the division of the parent company responsible for commercial vehicles, has announced that it plans to equip all of its light commercial vehicles with electric propulsion. The strategy will come into effect as of next year with the arrival of eVito.
The brand also announced the implementation of the strategy called eDrive@VANs , which is based on five fundamental pillars: holistic ecosystem, industry expertise, profitability, co-creation and technology transfer.
eDrive@VANs promise to reduce operating costs
This ecosystem includes the following elements:- Robust and smart charging infrastructure
- Connectivity solutions for obtaining information about the state of charge, battery life and optimal route planning in real time
- Consulting: eVAN Ready app and TCO (Total Cost Ownership) tool for the analysis of driving behavior and general costs
- Rental vehicles for periods of greatest need
- Driver training program for electric vehicle fleets
Starting with the Vito model and applying the same strategy in 2019, Mercedes-Benz Vans will offer versatile and flexible electric vehicles, which during the purchase process can be adapted to the level of autonomy and load management equipment, to suit the vehicle to the specific intended use.
The holistic approach and provision of a complete eDrive ecosystem significantly reduces operating costs over the entire lifecycle compared to individual solutions and offers customers benefits and added business value.
The fleet of electric vehicles of a company that is working in partnership with Mercedes-Benz and which provides logistics services, will be used to deliver parcels, and will subsequently be implemented in other urban areas and will reach a total of 1500 electric models Vito and Sprinter by 2020.
Mercedes-Benz Vans is working with its customers to drive the innovation process in end-of-chain solutions and not just solutions for the mail transport and parcel delivery sector.
In addition to the high investment in other areas of the Group, over the next few years Mercedes-Benz Vans will invest additionally 150 million euros in electrification of its commercial vehicle portfolio.
eVito at the forefront
The eVito model is now available for order in Germany, and the first deliveries are scheduled for the beginning of the second half of 2018. In Portugal it will arrive in 2019. This will be the first series production vehicle to be launched according to the manufacturer's new strategy German.
The new model has autonomy of about 150 km, one maximum speed of 120 km/h, and payload greater than 1000 kg, with a total load volume of up to 6.6 m3
The eVito battery can be fully charged in about six hours. The engine produces a power of 84 kW (114 hp) and a maximum torque of up to 300 Nm. As far as maximum speed is concerned, you can choose between two options: a maximum speed of 80 km/h which allows you to conserve energy and increase autonomy, and a top speed of up to 120 km/h, naturally at the expense of greater autonomy.
eVito will also be available in two versions with different wheelbases. The long wheelbase version has an overall length of 5.14 m, while the extra-long version measures 5.37 m.
Volker Mornhinweg, Director of the Mercedes-Benz Vans DivisionWe are convinced of the need to install electric drivetrains in our light commercial vehicles, especially in urban center applications. In this way, the electrification of commercial models is not an end in itself, but rather the pursuit of the same principles applied to a conventional engine with regard to profitability. With our eDrive@VANs initiative, we are showing that only comprehensive mobility solutions that include more than the powertrain itself represent a real alternative for commercial vehicle customers. eVito is the starting point that will later be followed by the new generation of our Sprinter and the Citan.
The model that follows eVito will be the eSprinter, also arriving in 2019.
Under the adVANce strategy, launched in autumn 2016, the Mercedes-Benz brand will invest around 500 million euros by 2020 in the integration of a wide range of connectivity solutions in its light commercial vehicles, innovative hardware solutions for the commercial sector. light commercial vehicles and new mobility concepts.