The Mercedes-Benz battery-electric Vito E-CELL is ideal for inner-city operations

(30/07/2010)

Experts are convinced that in highly populated areas with dense infrastructures, where exhaust and noise pollution levels are high, the future belongs to electrically powered vehicles. Additional incentives include a sense of responsibility on the part of businesses and not least the public relations effect of "clean" drive systems. Another motivating factor for the development of vehicles with electric drive is the conservation of finite resources such as oil, as well as the political will for greater independence where energy supplies are concerned.

With the first battery-electric van to be introduced ex factory by any automobile manufacturer, Mercedes-Benz is opening a new chapter in drive technology for light commercial vehicles. Thanks to its emission-free drive system, the Mercedes-Benz Vito E-CELL is ideally suitable for inner-city operations and for particularly environmentally sensitive areas. The Vito E-CELL operates with no emissions and almost silently, and imposes no restrictions on the operator in terms of load capacity and payload. Production of a small series of 100 Vito E-CELL vans has already commenced this year, and a further 2000 units are planned from 2011.

Deliveries to inner-city areas and pedestrian precincts, operations in areas with rigorous access restrictions, in-company transport in production shops, delivery access via underground car parks – the quiet, emission-free Mercedes-Benz Vito E-CELL with its purely battery-electric drive system is the perfect answer to the question of delivery operations in environmentally sensitive areas. Moreover, the Vito E-CELL is not only able to carry out its transport assignments in areas with high exhaust pollution, but also where there are noise restrictions protecting e.g. health resorts or in residential areas with night-time driving bans.

In response to the growing environmental burden in the densely populated areas of Europe and other regions of the world, the relevant authorities are increasingly introducing vehicle access restrictions in the form of environmental zones based on emissions or with time constraints. Emission-free vehicles with electric drive are usually exempted. Accordingly the Vito E-CELL is eminently suitable for environmentally sensitive areas, both in commercial and public service operations, and in many areas of the service sector including e.g. parcel and postal deliveries, maintenance work and for other service providers.

There are also numerous incentive schemes for the purchase of emission-free vehicles. These are available in many countries and take widely different forms, ranging from direct purchasing subsidies to significant reductions in toll charges or vehicle taxes and exemption from access restrictions.

The Vito E-CELL is also considerably less expensive to operate. A comparison between the current diesel price and the cost of electrical power shows a factor of four to seven. This means that for the same driving distance, a Vito powered by an internal combustion engine incurs four to seven times the costs of a Vito E-CELL recharged overnight with low-priced off-peak power.

Mercedes-Benz has the stated aim of safeguarding and shaping the mobility of the future on a sustainable basis with innovative technologies. The focus is on ecologically justifiable drive technologies such as those collectively termed BlueEFFICIENCY at Mercedes-Benz. The clear objective is emission-free driving, and Mercedes-Benz Vans has come another step closer to this goal with the Vito E-CELL.

The Vito E-CELL rounds off the wide range of environmentally compatible vans bearing the Mercedes star to form an ecological trio catering for practically all conceivable operations from specialised short-range to extreme long-distance transport. The lineup has continuously further developed and now almost perfected internal combustion engine systems, natural gas and LPG drive systems, and now purely electric drive.

The Vito E-CELL is based on the wealth of experience in the field of electric drive systems that Mercedes-Benz has accumulated over the decades. As early as 1972 Mercedes-Benz developed its first electric van, the LE 306, which was soon followed by a first large-scale trial with the Mercedes-Benz 307 E. Further experimental vehicles followed with the Mercedes-Benz 308 E and the electrically powered Sprinter, and these are still in customer operations under real conditions today, for example on the North Sea island of Heligoland.

The next step to series production was however always foiled by inadequate battery technology. Apart from insufficient long-term durability, this limited both the payload and operating range to the extent that professional operation in larger numbers was not a viable proposition.

The way is now being cleared by modern lithium-ion batteries with a high energy density, supported by intelligent charging strategies and innovative driving strategies that were not possible in the past. The company is driving the development of new battery systems ahead at full speed, by conducting research and cooperating with partners. The Vito E-CELL will benefit from this when the impending series production commences.

With its operating range of around 130 km, the Vito E-CELL meets average customer requirements for a daily van mileage of approx. 50-80 km with a considerable safety margin. At the same time the van's load compartment is usable with no restrictions whatever. With a payload of around 900 kg depending on equipment specifications, the Vito E-CELL is in every respect a fully-fledged van. Thanks to a top speed of 80 km/h it is also suitable for the short inter-urban stretches that frequently occur in densely populated areas and suburbs.

Externally it is only the decor of the Vito E-CELL that distinguishes it from the familiar appearance of the conventionally powered Vito, as the body is completely unmodified. Even the charging socket has found its place behind the flap usually concealing the fuel filler pipe in the lower section of the B-pillar on the left side of the vehicle. The ground clearance and angle of approach/departure are also practically unchanged compared to the Vito with an internal combustion engine. The Vito E-CELL is therefore equally suitable for facilities with steep ramps and approaches.

In place of the usual four and six-cylinder engines plus peripheral units of the Vito, the engine cover of the Vito E-CELL conceals the electric motor and its ancillary systems. The electric motor, a permanent synchronous unit, develops a continuous output of 60 kW and a peak output of 70 kW. Maximum torque is 280 Nm.

As the full torque is inherently available right from the start in electric motors, the Vito E-CELL delivers dynamic performance at the familiar, high level of modern diesel engines. In view of the typical operating profile for the Vito E-CELL, and in the interests of maximising the operating range of the batteries, the van's top speed is limited to 80 km/h.

Power is transferred to the front wheels via a single-speed transmission. This efficient unit was likewise developed specifically for the Vito E-CELL.

The batteries are charged at charging stations provided to the pilot customers by the two energy providers EnBW and Vattenfall. These companies are participating in the customer trials as cooperation partners in the Berlin (Vattenfall) and Stuttgart (EnBW) regions. The charging stations are installed on the business premises of the fleets involved. The charging socket of the Vito E-CELL is connected to the station using a standard seven-pin charging cable.

Related categories:  Hybrid and electric car   Mercedes-Benz   Vans