Mercedes-Benz has revealed its long-anticipated and refreshed eSprinter van would finally become available in North America this year. Production will start in the second half of 2023 at its Charleston, South Carolina plant.
The German automaker had been teasing the arrival of the battery-powered van in the US and Canada for months.
Mercedes-Benz shared lots of details about the vans, except the pricing. It revealed it made a $350 million investment and adopted a modular approach in the design and development. This gave the automaker a significant amount of freedom in the process.
The North American version will debut as a long cargo van with a high roof. It will draw power from a 113 kWh battery, the largest configuration available.
Mercedes-Benz will also commence production in Europe at its Dusseldorf and Ludwigsfelde factories. The two plants will produce multiple variants of the eSprinter.
The variants are differentiated based on the battery size and powertrain. However, Mercedes-Benz is updating them with a new and more efficient permanent magnet synchronous motor and electric rear axle. The motor comes as either 100 or 150 kWh, with up to 400 Nm of torque.
The electric van has enhanced stability, thanks to the placement of the battery under the floor. The driving range is up to 400 km (248.5 miles) on highways and 500 km (311 miles) within the city using WLTP estimates. The battery accepts both AC (9.0 kW) and DC (1,155 kW) currents. The latter will charge the battery from 10 to 80% in about 42 minutes.
The loading capacity is 488 cubic feet, with a weight limit of 4.25 tons.
Ford also offers an electric van under the E-Transit brand. One of its customers is Deutsch Post DHL, which has ordered 2,000 units. The eSprinter will also compete with GM’s BrightDrop electric vans, which will be built in Canada. The BrightDrop Zevo 600 traveled 418 km on a single charge to set a Guinness World Record for electric vans.
