The European fully electric car market saw many new models in 2020 and the start of 2021. This was a result of the new EU regulation on Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE). I’ve been trying to explore and test drive as many of these as possible. Here’s a quick summary … [continued]
A decade ago in 2013 I experienced an electric Mercedes-Benz Vito meant for the Danish postal system. A limited test fleet was deployed, but after the test period, the project was terminated. In 2019 the Danish branch of rescue service Falck converted a Tesla Model X into a first responder … [continued]
In Europe, vans are essentially what pickup trucks are in the USA. We even had a period with double-cabin trucks with smallish cargo space that were used as private cars, before the SUV/CUV craze made them a better alternative. Not having vans from Audi, BMW, or Porsche, the vans from … [continued]
There’s been a constant stream of electric truck and electric van news this year, and the past few weeks have been no exception. In fact, 5 stories quickly rolled in. Check them all out below.
A funny thing for an American who moves to Europe or visits for a bit is seeing Mercedes-Benz vans, trucks, and even buses. In the US, we’ve got the luxury cars and SUVs, but Mercedes delivery vans and heavy-duty vehicles is an odd concept. Now, if you go to Belgium, you may even see electric Mercedes delivery vans delivering food boxes (prepared meals). They include a special design for keeping the food cool.
For the new EU Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) regulations, passenger cars and light vans are in two different classes. Manufacturers can’t compensate the surplus in one class to balance the deficit in the other. Mercedes does not have a smaller, more efficient model.
Daimler is opening up more and more options for customer to go electric with the introduction of its new Mercedes-Benz eSprinter. The platform is especially exciting due to its appeal to fleets as a delivery vehicle and consumers as a recreational vehicle.
One of the parts of the auto industry that is best suited to near-term electrification is the delivery vehicle/van segment. Such vehicles — whether inner city parcel delivery trucks, produce trucks, mail delivery vehicles, bakery vans, etc. — generally don’t travel much on a daily basis, and often follow very reliable usage patterns within a strict service area, so there are often no fundamental reasons for the operators of such vehicles to not go electric.
Electric versions of all of Mercedes-Benz Vans’ commercial van model lines are now planned — with deliveries of the eVito beginning in late 2018 and deliveries of the eSprinter beginning in 2019, and others following — according to a new press release.
