Mercedes-Benz unveils new eSprinter all-electric van with specs: 150 km of range and 1000 kg payload

After unveiling its latest lineup of Sprinter vans with a new electric model earlier this year, Mercedes-Benz released all the details today of its latest addition to its electric lineup.

The eSprinter all-electric van will have a range of up to 150 km (93 miles) and a maximum payload of 1,000 kg (2,200 lbs).

The German automaker will be offering the van with two battery pack options: 55 kWh for the max range of 150 km (93 miles) and 41 kWh for a range of 115 km (71 miles).

It’s fairly short as far as range, but the company says that it is especially for “inner-city traffic.”

Volker Mornhinweg, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, commented:

“Electrification of the commercial fleet follows our conviction that the future belongs to electric drive systems, especially in inner-city traffic. We have already shown with the eVito that we are serious about the implementation. Now we are going a step further with the eSprinter. Our electric drive systems are also competitive in larger vehicle segments – especially regarding the total cost of ownership which is important for our commercial costumers”

The battery pack feeds an electric motor with “an output of 84 kW and a torque of up to 300 newton metres” with a limited top speed of 80 km/h (50 mph) to maximize range or 120 km/h (75 mph) otherwise.

It is offered as a high roof panel van with a permissible gross vehicle weight of 3500 kilograms, a vehicle length of 5932 millimetres, a wheelbase of 3924 millimetres and a maximum load capacity of 10.5 m^3.

Mercedes-Benz says that the model could be useful as a passenger shuttle or as a delivery vehicle in cities.

The company didn’t confirm the price, but they did say that the procurement cost will be higher than their gas-powered Sprinter vans, which start at about $50,000, but the higher price will be offset by the cost of operation.

Benjamin Kaehler, Head of eDrive VANs at Mercedes-Benz Vans, commented:

“The total operating costs must be at the level of a comparably equipped vehicle powered by a diesel engine – the eSprinter and the eVito meet this basic requirement. Electric models can only be competitive in commercial operations if using them makes economic sense. The higher procurement costs are offset by lower energy and maintenance costs, as well as tax savings,”

Mercedes-Benz Vans says that they are investing 150 million euros in the electrification of their lineup.

The eSprinter follows the eVito released last year and it will itself be followed by the eCitan soon.

Electrek’s Take

While I get the focus on urban driving, I’m not impressed with the specs. I feel like they could have pushed for something closer to 150 miles of range.

So far Nissan owned the market with its e-NV200 all-electric van, but the vehicle is much smaller than the eSprinter. It has about half the payload capacity but twice the range.

The segment is about to get a lot more competitive. In December, VW started deliveries of its new all-electric eCrafter van for a customer test fleet.

In the US, Workhorse also recently started delivering its own electric van model and the new California-based startup Chanje is also entering the market with a larger all-electric van.