A pre-production vehicle of the new Mercedes-Benz eSprinter completed a special test drive on 19 October 2022: With only one battery charge and without recharging, the route led from the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart to Munich Airport and back again. This corresponds to a distance of 475 kilometres with a power consumption of 21.9 kWh per 100 kilometres. And this despite the fact that the route is extremely demanding in terms of fuel consumption due to the high proportion of motorways and the climb up the Swabian Jura. Conclusion of the test drive: The new Mercedes-Benz eSprinter is convincing.
The new Mercedes-Benz eSprinter will be launched with three different battery sizes. A pre-production vehicle with the largest of the three variants was selected for the test drive. With a view to a practical vehicle configuration for CEP use (courier, express, parcel service), an extra-long eSprinter with a high roof was selected to demonstrate: The new Mercedes-Benz eSprinter is trimmed for efficiency. Numerous configuration options and a high load capacity combined with a long range make the eSprinter one of the most flexible large electric vans in the world.
The test drive
The consumption measurement took place on 19 October 2022. In order to create real conditions for an express delivery between Stuttgart and Munich, the journey was not completed on a closed-off test track, let alone a test bench, but in inner-city traffic as well as on federal roads and motorways. The topography was not optimised either; for example, the climb up the Swabian Jura was deliberately left in the route. An inspector from TÜV Süd sat in the passenger seat next to the Mercedes-Benz test driver during the entire test drive. As a neutral testing organisation, TÜV Süd certifies that the consumption of 21.9 kWh per 100 kilometres achieved on this test drive from Stuttgart to Munich and back according to the instrument cluster was achieved with one battery charge and that the vehicle was in due order.
The route
In order to recreate a typical application from the CEP industry, the drive went from the Mercedes-Benz Museum directly at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Untertürkheim on the B10 in the direction of Göppingen and on to Ulm. There we changed to the motorway. The route led to Munich Airport on the A8 as well as the A99. Afterwards, the drive continued on the motorway back towards Stuttgart, where at the Wendlinger Kreuz junction the journey led back to the Mercedes-Benz Museum via the B313 and the B10. The length of the route was 475 kilometres, with the lowest section at 210 metres above sea level and the highest at 785 metres above sea level. Upon arrival, the instrument cluster showed a remaining range of about another 20 kilometres.
The new eSprinter
With the new eSprinter, Mercedes-Benz Vans is consistently implementing its electrification strategy and underlining its “Lead in Electric Drive” claim to leadership. The requirements were defined in close cooperation with the customers: With three battery and several body variants from panel van to chassis for box bodies, for example, the new eSprinter will be significantly more flexible and open up new customer segments as well as markets (beside Europe, for the first time also the USA and Canada). The range can more than double compared to the current eSprinter, depending on the configuration. The new eSprinter will be produced successively in Charleston (South Carolina, USA), Düsseldorf and Ludwigsfelde from the second half of 2023.
Mercedes-Benz eVan portfolio
With the Vito E-CELL, Mercedes-Benz Vans was already a pioneer in the market for locally emission-free vans in 2010. Today, customers can choose from four battery-electric vans: the eVito Panel Van, the eSprinter, the eVito Tourer and the EQV. With the new eCitan and the EQT, the entire van portfolio will soon be electrified.
From the middle of the decade, Mercedes-Benz Vans will implement the next stage of its electrification strategy with VAN.EA (Mercedes-Benz Vans Electric Architecture): From 2025, all mid-sized and large vans based on the new modular architecture will be purely electric.
