Mercedes Benz Vito E-CELL Goes Outside Germany

The first van with an electromotive drive system to be produced by a car manufacturer ex factory is now taking to the roads outside Germany, namely in Spain’s Basque country. There have been in fact five vehicles handed over to the customer during a special ceremony at the Mercedes-Benz production location for the Vito E-CELL in Vitoria.

Daimler also revealed that further customers in major European cities will be taking delivery of their Vito E-CELL vehicles over the coming months.

“The Vito E-CELL, which is now fully integrated in our series production, represents a completely new phenomenon. As far as process management is concerned, all the hurdles were overcome in record time!”, stated Heinrich Weiss during the hand-over ceremony.

The Vito E-CELL’s batteries are stored beneath the load-compartment floor. The vehicles are fitted with lithium-ion batteries with an overall capacity of 36 kWh, sufficient for a range of some 130 km (81 miles).

The Vito E-CELL’s electric motor has an output of 60 kW and a torque of 280 Nm / 207 lb.ft. (available right from the start), while the van’s top speed is limited to 80 km/h.

Following on from the small series of 100 Mercedes-Benz Vito E-CELL vehicles which are now operating in Berlin and Stuttgart, this ceremonial hand-over officially marks the start of the next series – encompassing over 2,000 units.

“The Vito E-CELL is not an experimental vehicle – it is a full-function van for day-to-day applications. It is the first van of its kind to roll off the series-production line, just like any other Vito. With a payload of around 900 kilograms plus a load compartment with no restrictions on use whatsoever the Vito E-CELL assumes all the usual transportation duties of any vehicle in its class,” a company statement reads.