Amazon Orders 1800 Electric Vans From Mercedes-Benz

More than 1800 battery-electric eVito and eSprinter from Mercedes-Benz vans will be delivered to Amazon starting for use across Europe, Mercedes said.. The order includes  600 medium-sized eVito vans and 1200 vehicles of the large-size eSprinter vans. The vans are expected to be in operation this year.

“I am delighted that we are further intensifying our long-standing partnership with Amazon and working together on the battery-electric future of transportation,” said Marcus Breitschwerdt, head of Mercedes-Benz Vans. “With the eVito and the eSprinter, we have electric vehicles in our portfolio, which are ideally suited for the requirements of the courier-, express- and parcel-service industry for goods delivery on the so-called ‘last mile’ in terms of their equipment and range. They show that local emission-free driving, convincing performance, comfort and low operating costs can be combined perfectly.”

The eVito was introduced in 2018 and the eSprinter in 2019. Mercedes-Benz Vans said the positioning of the battery under the floor of the vehicles creates an interior without  loading volume restrictions, an important parameter for delivery services.

The eSprinter trucks for Amazon are panel vans with a permissible gross vehicle weight of 3500 kg with a high roof design. The electric engine drives the front wheels and, like the diesel starter unit, delivers a maximum 85 kW with a torque of up to 295 Nm.

Customers can choose between two battery capacities, depending on whether a greater range or a higher payload is prioritized. The vehicles produced for Amazon will come with the larger battery, namely with a usable battery capacity of 47 kWh/installed: 55 kWh, have a range of 168 km^, and a maximum payload of 891 kilograms. For flexibility, the integrated quick charging function also ensures the battery can be recharged from 10 percent to 80 percent within approximately 25 minutes, Mercedes-Benz said.

The load capacity of 11 m³ can be used without restriction because the batteries are installed under the loading floor.

With the eSprinter, the customer is also provided with an additional connectivity-capable electric vehicle as it has the installed connectivity module as standard. The Mercedes PRO remote-controlled charging management provides information about the charging of the eSprinter such as charge level, end of charge. In addition, pre-entry climate control can be activated, without reducing the range of the vehicle.

The eSprinter for Amazon is produced at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Düsseldorf., Germany

The eVito has an installed battery capacity of 35 kWh/installed 41 kWh for a range of  50 to 184 km. After six hours of charging, Mercedes-Benz said the full range is available. The battery-electric drive achieves maximum 85 kW and a torque of up to 295 Nm.

The maximum speed can be configured when ordering. If the eVito is mainly used in a city – like the vans for Amazon – a maximum speed of 80 km/h protects the energy reserves and increases the range. Alternatively, a maximum speed of up to 120 km/h can be configured.

Again, the positioning of the battery in the substructure of the eVito creates an interior without restrictions with regard to the loading volume. In addition to the design as a panel van for goods transport, the eVito is also available as a Tourer (power consumption in combined test cycle of 26.2 kWh/100km), with a range of 421 km and quick charging function for passenger transport. The eVito is built as the Vito in the Mercedes-Benz Vitoria plant, Spain.

Mercedes-Benz Vans and Amazon Logistics Germany, recognizing the potential of a electric mobility early on, have been working together since 2018, the companies said. Together with the Mercedes-Benz contract partner Fahrzeug-Werke Lueg AG and other partners, the Amazon distribution center in the North Rhine-Westphalia city of Bochum was equipped with a charging infrastructure. In July 2020, a connected charging infrastructure of about 340 charging points at the Amazon Delivery Station in Essen was established by Lueg basecamp GmbH.