Mercedes Electric Van Project Axed
Demand for an electric cargo van that can only travel up to 50 mph isn’t strong enough to justify full production.
That’s what Mercedes is admitting after releasing a limited number of Vito E-Cell electric commercial vans in Europe to test the market viability of such a vehicle. Mercedes van division head Volker Mornhinweg said the project is being killed.
The Vito E-Cell could carry up to 1,873 lbs and could drive up to 80 miles and Mercedes only managed to sell a few hundred units.
Not surprisingly, diesel engines are still a more attractive option for the brand’s next generation of commercial vans. They will also use engine start-stop technology and lightweight materials to improve efficiency and might be sold in North America.
[Source: Car and Driver]
Luke is an energetic automotive journalist who spends his time covering industry news and crawling the internet for the latest breaking story. When he isn't in the office, Luke can be found obsessively browsing used car listings, drinking scotch at his favorite bar and dreaming of what to drive next, though the list grows a lot faster than his bank account. He's always on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> looking for a good car conversation. Find Luke on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> and <A title="Luke on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/112531385961538774338?rel=author">Google+</A>.
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