Pickup trucks aren’t meant to be exciting because their primary role is to get the job done. Whether transporting people or goods, these must be versatile and keep running costs low for fleet operators. Mercedes is gradually shifting its passenger cars to electric drive, and at the same time the workhorses are also getting the EV treatment. Curing beach anxiety won’t happen overnight, but the eSprinter is getting there.
A near-production prototype of the electric van has reached an important milestone before its official reveal at the end of February 2023. It underwent a consumption measurement test on October 19 in the real world rather than in a laboratory where conditions are generally less stressful on Vehicles. The route involved traveling from the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart to Munich Airport and back without stopping to recharge the battery.
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The test was carried out on the open road without driving on closed sections. It involved federal roads and highways as well as managing some traffic in city centers. Mercedes is keen to point out that it hasn’t chosen the most efficient route to increasing the eSprinter’s range, deliberately deciding to take the electric van to the Swabian Alb. it is a mountainous region of the country of Baden-Württemberg.
TÜV Süd has certified the purely electric Sprinter with an average fuel consumption of 21.9 kWh per 100 kilometers. Road elevation ranged between 210 and 785 meters (689 and 2,575 feet) above sea level. The test vehicle traveled 295 miles (475 kilometers) on a single charge, with enough battery for another 12 miles (20 km).
As a reminder, the eSprinter will be assembled in Charleston (South Carolina) as well as in Germany in the Düsseldorf and Ludwigsfelde factories from the second half of 2023. Two years later, the Mercedes-Benz Vans Electric Architecture will be inaugurated in as a dedicated EV platform suitable for utility vehicles. All medium and large vans arriving from 2025 will be supported by the VAN.EA.
