2024 Mercedes-Benz eSprinter EV to nudge 500km vary

An all-electric, pre-production model of the next-generation Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van has coated a powerful 475km on a cost in final-stage testing, with a number of miles to spare.

The battery-powered massive van will make its world premiere in February 2023 and is confirmed for an Australian arrival “in or round 2024”.

The check route led from the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart to Munich Airport, and again once more, with an effectivity of 21.9kWh per 100km – confirmed by a TÜV Süd inspector.

“This although the route is extraordinarily demanding by way of gas consumption as a result of excessive proportion of motorways and the climb up the Swabian Jura,” Mercedes-Benz Vans added.

That mentioned, the brand new Mercedes-Benz eSprinter shall be launched with three completely different battery sizes, and naturally this pre-production automobile had the most important of the three variants – however was additionally a much less aerodynamic extra-long mannequin with a excessive roof.

The distanced travelled right here and the financial system outcome suggests a battery pack with round 110kWh capability in top-spec guise.

The bottom part of the largely motorway 475km route was 210 metres above sea stage and the best 785 metres above sea stage. Upon arrival, the instrument cluster confirmed a remaining vary of about one other 20 kilometres, that means 500km appears potential.

To present this a bit extra context, when the current-generation eSprinter launched in December 2019 it claimed peak effectivity of 32.5kWh per 100km and 168km of vary.

Mercedes-Benz Vans beforehand teased its next-generation electrical full-sized van present process winter testing in Sweden at temperatures as little as -30°C, throughout early 2022.

When the eSprinter arrives in 2024, it would be part of the mid-sized eVito panel van, eVito Tourer and EQV people-mover that are rolling into showrooms this 12 months.

There are quite a few electrical vans on the radar for the Australian market, although the one ones at present on sale are the (soon-to-be-replaced) Renault Kangoo ZE and just-launched LDV eDeliver 9 which rivals the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter in dimension phrases, and has 280km max vary.

The Ford E-Transit (early 2023) and Renault Grasp E-Tech (2024) are additionally on their approach.

Mercedes-Benz beforehand claimed to have labored with stakeholders like courier and parcel providers to find out what’s required from the next-generation van.

It invested round €350 million (~A$540 million) within the next-generation van, which shall be made accessible in additional markets than ever earlier than together with the US and North America.

A claimed €50 million (~A$77 million) has been spent adapting the three aforementioned factories to accommodate the eSprinter. The corporate says manufacturing shall be CO2 impartial.

Mercedes-Benz has now revealed or launched electrical variations of its total van line-up, together with the Citan and T-Class siblings not bought right here.

From 2025, all new Mercedes-Benz architectures shall be electrical because the model plans to be totally EV by the top of the last decade “wherever market situations permit”.

Meaning there’s a brand new, devoted EV structure for the corporate’s vans. Referred to as VAN.EA, it’ll be launched “from the mid-2020s”.

MORE: Every little thing Mercedes-Benz Sprinter