The all-new second-generation Mercedes eSprinter continues to be about half a yr from its official launch, and far of its particulars have been intently guarded by Mercedes. Nonetheless, with the discharge of a latest effectivity take a look at, Mercedes revealed a really large piece of the puzzle, the anticipated driving vary in addition to the dimensions of the brand new eSprinter’s battery pack.
Mercedes launched the primary all-electric model of its extraordinarily common Sprinter van, to pick European markets in 2019. It’s a low-volume automobile and Mercedes’s goal clients are corporations making deliveries to companies in city facilities.
Its restricted usefulness is because of the truth that it does not go very far on a single cost. The eSprinter is obtainable with two battery choices, a 41 kWh battery with 71 miles of driving vary, and a 55 kWh pack with 93 miles of vary. It is also essential to level out that these vary estimates are utilizing the WLTP vary ranking, which normally produces about 12% to fifteen% extra estimated vary than EPA vary figures.
Due to this fact, if the present eSprinter was accessible within the US, the EPA vary rankings would possible be about 60 miles and 80 miles, respectively. That is probably the rationale why Mercedes by no means provided the eSprinter on North American shores, as only a few companies would discover it helpful.
Nonetheless, that is concerning the change. Not solely will the second-generation eSprinter be accessible within the US and Canada, however we’re additionally truly getting it first. That is proper, the brand new eSprinter can be accessible in North America earlier than it is even accessible in Mercedes’s dwelling nation, Germany.
We’re nonetheless in the dead of night concerning a lot of the new eSprinter’s options and particulars, and probably will not have something substantial to report on that for a few months. Nonetheless, with the discharge of this latest effectivity take a look at, we have discovered that the brand new eSprinter can have greater than thrice the driving vary of its predecessor.
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The effectivity take a look at was strictly monitored by the product testing and compliance group, TÜV SÜD. The tires have been inflated to the producer’s specification earlier than leaving and a TÜV SÜD consultant rode contained in the van as a passenger to supervise compliance.
Beneath this TÜV SÜD supervision, a Mercedes worker was capable of drive the brand new eSprinter from Stuggart to Munich and again, masking a complete of 295 miles and ending with 3% state of cost displayed.
Moreover, TÜV SÜD confirmed a consumption charge of 21.9 kWh per 100 km for the take a look at drive, which interprets to 2.84 mi/kWh. With that good tidbit of data, we will again into the dimensions of the battery pack, or at the very least get fairly near its usable capability.
For the 2024 Mercedes eSprinter effectivity take a look at, a seal was positioned over the chargeport to stop dishonest.
Since they ended the effectivity drive with 3% state of cost and 12 miles of estimated remaining vary, we’ll add 12 miles and arrive at 307 miles from 100% to a flat battery. Because the consumption charge was 2.83 mi/kWh, we will conclude that the brand new eSprinter’s usable capability is at the very least 108.5 kWh.
We are saying at the very least 108.5 kWh as a result of we do not know if Mercedes has just a few kWh hidden on the low finish so the automobile can nonetheless drive just a few miles as soon as the state of cost and estimated miles remaining reads zero, as many EVs do.
If that’s the case, the usable battery capability is probably going about 110 kWh, which is double the dimensions of the biggest battery possibility accessible within the present eSprinter.
The brand new eSprinter can have three battery choices accessible globally. Nonetheless, initially, solely the biggest battery possibility can be accessible in North America, which is the pack that was used on this effectivity take a look at.
The route chosen was a mixture of metropolis and freeway roads and was truly a difficult route. The bottom level of the route was 689 toes above sea degree and included a climb as much as 2,575 toes. We suspect if the course was on a flat route with minimal elevation change the eSprinter would have probably added 10 or extra miles to the ultimate end result.
The eSprinter can be produced in Düsseldorf and Ludwigshafen, Germany, in addition to in Mercedes’s Charleston, South Carolina plant beginning within the second half of 2023.
We’ll proceed to watch eSprinter updates from Mercedes as they’re launched. With this a lot driving vary, the brand new eSprinter will work for a lot of enterprise purposes, and suspect will probably be in excessive demand when it arrives in Mercedes showrooms subsequent yr.
