Mercedes team up with the US EV startup Rivian to produce new all-electric vans for their lineup.
German auto-giants Mercedes-Benz has announced a partnership with US EV startup Rivian, effectively immediately. The strategic collaboration, which will take place in a European manufacturing facility in the next few years, will be concerning the production of large bespoke electric vans.
The partnership was cemented by a Memorandum of Understanding, and will lead to two new vans running on batteries based on existing Mercedes vans. The first is a van based on Mercedes’ electric-only VAN.EA chassis platform that was most recently used by the new Mercedes EQV. Whereas the second planned electric van is based on the second-gen Rivian Light Van chassis.
These models are scheduled to arrive in some capacity in 2025 and will join the current lineup of Mercedes electric vans, including the eSprinter panel van which has become one of the models of choice for trade workers in need of large cargo space. The eVito represents the other half of Mercedes’ current EV van lineup, a minivan that also has an eVito Tourer edition with increased range and battery capacity.
Mercedes themselves plan to bring new van models to their electric vehicle lineup away from Rivian, with the eCitan coming in late 2022 and the new Mercedes eSprinter coming in 2023. By 2025, the company will be pivoting to only creating electric mid-size and large vans.
On the partnership, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans Mathias Geisen said: “I am delighted that as part of this transformation we are now joining forces with Rivian – a highly dynamic and inspiring partner with a strong technology position. We are sharing investments and technology because we also share the same strategic ambition: accelerating the electrification of the van market with sustainable and superior products for our customers.”
He went on to speak about how the project will impact the innovation taking place at Mercedes. “As a pioneer in the field of locally emission-free transportation, Mercedes-Benz Vans has gained broad experience in producing and launching eVans since 2010. Now we are accelerating the transformation to a fully electric product portfolio – from 2025 onwards, all vans based on our new architecture VAN.EA will be electric-only.”
Meanwhile, RJ Scaringe, CEO of Rivian, added his own words to the joint statement: “Rivian was created to encourage the world to transition away from fossil fuel consumption by creating compelling products and services. Mercedes-Benz is one of the world’s best known and respected automotive companies, and we believe that together we will produce truly remarkable electric vans which will not only benefit our customers, but the planet.”
It remains to be seen what this partnership will bring, but the two companies will surely hope to be as successful as the thousands of partnerships that cars2buy has with trusted leasers. If you’re interested in an electric van lease, cars2buy has the UK’s most extensive collection of competitive van leasing deals. In simple terms, leasing is the single most cost-effective and hassle-free method of driving a brand-new van, and cars2buy keeps all of the best lease deals in one place from the top dealerships in the country. All you have to do is decide how long you want the lease to run (most personal leases are taken on contracts of between 2 & 4 years), what your annual mileage will be and how much deposit you want to put down.
