Mercedes-Benz’s VAN.EA Platform Will Underpin New Vans Beginning In 2026

• Mercedes-Benz’s VAN.EA platform will underpin all newly developed industrial and privately owned vans beginning in 2026.
• The electrical structure is modular and scalable, permitting front- or all-wheel drive in addition to totally different battery capacities and wheelbases.
• An unnamed mid-size luxurious van primarily based on the VAN.EA platform can also be destined for the U.S. market.

Huge adjustments are coming to

Mercedes-Benz’s household of business and privately owned vans. Beginning in 2026, the corporate has introduced that every one newly developed fashions might be constructed on a modular, scalable electrical structure known as VAN.EA.

New #VanLife

Whereas Mercedes says there’ll nonetheless be a transparent distinction between future vans which are designed for industrial use and people which are designed for private use, all of them will use the singular VAN.EA platform that may be configured in myriad methods (as seen under). Beforehand, this wasn’t potential with the mid-size Metris and larger Sprinter vans.

All future electrical Mercedes vans utilizing VAN.EA will function a standardized entrance module with an electrical motor powering the entrance wheels. A middle module could be stretched to accommodate totally different battery sizes and wheelbase lengths. A rear module could be configured with or with out an electrical motor feeding the rear axle, relying on whether or not the van has front- or all-wheel drive.

U.S. Affect

Mercedes says it has already seen important progress within the U.S. market, claiming its market share has jumped from 8 % in 2018 to 16 % in 2022. The corporate expects to construct on that with VAN.EA, not solely with its upcoming industrial variants, but in addition with a brand new mid-size luxurious van that is coming to America.

This new van would not but have an official title, however Mathias Geisen, head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, says it will not use the Metris nameplate. As a substitute, it’s going to look completely totally different and might be one of many first to launch when the brand new vans begin reaching our shores someday in 2026. Mercedes additionally says it’s going to introduce a brand new line of camper vans primarily based on the VAN.EA platform.

Along with the VAN.EA platform, the corporate is creating a brand new working system known as MB.OS. Together with permitting sooner over-the-air (OTA) software program updates, the system is anticipated to permit higher entry to digital providers and a greater diversity of third-party apps. Mercedes can also be working to develop its automated-driving know-how, beginning with SAE Level 2. By the tip of the last decade, automation is anticipated to succeed in Degree 3 for privately owned fashions and Degree 4 for industrial vans.

What About ICE Vans?

Mercedes hasn’t launched any particular particulars about VAN.EA powertrain output, out there battery capacities, or vary estimates. Nonetheless, the 2024 Mercedes-Benz eSprinter—which is not primarily based on the VAN.EA platform however is slated to go on sale within the U.S. later this 12 months—is claimed to have traveled 275 miles from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Lengthy Seaside, California, on a single cost. That distance was reached whereas utilizing a 113.0-kWh battery pack.

Though the brand new eSprinter will finally get replaced by a VAN.EA model, Mercedes says that its present vans with an internal-combustion engine will stay on sale all through the last decade. So long as there’s demand or them, there isn’t any finish date.