A “comprehensive” update of the electric Mercedes eVito’s powertrain raises its range to up to 314km, with fast charging also added.
Mercedes has made its electric eVito van more competitive in the face of rivals such as the Citroen e-Dispatch and Vauxhall Vivaro-e with a substantial range boost and fast-charging tech. However, those rivals are not yet available in Australia which will give the e-Vito a leg up when it arrives in Australia.
The updates to the panel van, which mirror tweaks made to the passenger-carrying eVito Tourer earlier this year, include the model’s battery capacity being increased by a full 70 per cent over the outgoing version’s – from 41.4kWh to 60kWh useable.
That’s sufficient for the quoted maximum WLTP range to rise from 186km to 314km. Although that’s a substantial improvement, it remains less than the quoted range figures of rival electric vans from Citroen, Peugeot and Toyota, which can be fitted with a larger-still 75kWh battery.
Klaus Rehkugler, Head of Sales and Marketing Vans, said: “The update opens up commercial electric mobility for even more use cases and, thanks to the longer range, also offers a solution for suburban and rural areas.”
To further bolster the eVito’s usability, Mercedes has also added fast-charging capability. Whereas it could previously be charged only at up to 7.4kWh via a wallbox or public charging point, the van can now be charged at up to 50kWh as standard, or up to 80kWh as an optional extra. That means a charge from 10-80 per cent on a DC fast charger can be completed in as little as 35 minutes.
As before, the eVito offers various switchable levels of regenerative braking, but Mercedes has also added a ‘DAuto’ recuperation mode that uses information from the safety systems to adapt the amount of regenerative braking depending on the driving situation.
Despite the larger battery, the eVito’s cargo volume remains unchanged at up to 6.6 cubic metres. However, the payload has reduced slightly to a maximum of 888kg, or 853kg for the 5.37m-long extra-long body style version. The electric motor is unchanged, driving the front wheels with a peak output of 85kW and 360Nm of torque.
Mercedes-Benz Australia has yet to detail the eVito’s Australia-specific variants including pricing and specs.
Lawrence Allan