Mercedes doubles efforts on electric van
Mercedes-Benz was set to scale up efforts on its electric delivery van production as Deutsche Post turned from customer to competitor after the release of its bare bones battery-powered vehicles.
Daimler AG
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Daimler, Mercedes' parent company, aimed to start deliveries of the €39,990 eVito in the second half of 2018, with an electric version of the Mercedes Sprinter also slated to hit the road in 2019.
"We are convinced by the necessity of electric drive in our vans," said Volker Mornhinweg, head of Mercedes' van division.
"The eVito is the starting point," he said, noting it would be followed by the Sprinter and the smaller Citan.
To coincide with the battery-powered vehicle's release, Mercedes planned to offer driver training and inform customers about on-site charging stations.
Parcel delivery service Hermes would be providing Daimler feedback on future vans as part of a cooperation agreement between the two that included plans for a fleet of 1,500 electric Vito and Sprinter models by 2020.
As of 1200 GMT, Daimler shares had gained 0.99% to €69.65 each.