Mercedes-Benz Unveils Electric Roadside Assistance Van

Mercedes-Benz Vans has introduced its first electric Service24h roadside assistance van, as part of a pilot project in the UK.

The eSprinter is kitted out in the same way as the diesel-engined vehicles that provide free, round-the-clock support to customers throughout the UK.

Supporting the growing eVan community

Operating from the Marshall Van Croydon Dealership in south London, it is now being utilised to serve the capital’s growing Mercedes-Benz eVan community.

Simon Neill, Customer Operations Director, Mercedes-Benz Vans UK Ltd, declared: “We’re really pleased to have added the first electric roadside assistance vehicle to the fleet of around 180 Service24h vans operating nationwide.

“It’s important to demonstrate to customers for our eSprinter and eVito models that we can fully support them with an electric van. The vision, on completion of this pilot, is to introduce more eSprinters to the fleet nationally where appropriate. We’re also planning, later this year, to set our first eSprinter based mobile servicing unit on the road.”

114 hp electric motor

The eSprinter is powered by a 114 hp electric motor that drives the front wheels, and produces zero tailpipe emissions.

Crucially, its 55kW high-voltage battery pack is securely mounted beneath the body. This means it does not impinge on the space needed in the cargo area to provide the Service24h technician with a practical workspace and to carry a full complement of equipment and GenuineParts.

The van will travel 95 miles (combined WLTP with 80 km/h speed limiter) on a single charge, which is ample not only for most urban delivery and last mile applications, but also for the overwhelming majority of roadside call-outs attended by Marshall Van and other members of the Mercedes-Benz Vans network.

Marshall Van Croydon Dealer Principal Mark Effenberg commented: “We are very proud to have been chosen by Mercedes-Benz Vans UK to take part in this exciting pilot project.

More to come

“As our sales colleagues will testify, demand for electric vans bearing the three-pointed star continues to go from strength to strength. It is entirely fitting, therefore, that wherever possible the vehicles we use to provide the award-winning aftersales back-up for which Mercedes-Benz is renowned, should also employ the latest, emissions-free technology.”

Mercedes-Benz Vans’ award-winning Service 24h provision is integral to its industry-leading MobiloVan* commitment. Highly-trained Mercedes-Benz technicians attend callouts in vans equipped for a wide range of tasks and stocked with Mercedes-Benz GenuineParts. The average response time is 66 minutes, with 87% of vans fixed at the roadside and sent on their way.

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Bosch launching electric van-sharing service

Robert Bosch will launch an electric van-sharing service in Germany this year, expanding its reach in the field of pay-per-minute vehicle rental services and pitting it against some of its automaker clients.

The German supplier said it will team up with toom, a subsidiary of German retailer Rewe, to supply delivery vans at hardware stores, enabling clients to rent a van to transport bulky purchases. The van-sharing service will initially be offered at hardware stores in Berlin, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Troisdorf, and Freiburg

Quickly renting a car by app is something that nearly two million people already do in Germany alone, and the number of car-sharing users is on the rise. In this growth market, Bosch is launching a new sharing service for electric vans.

“Bosch is growing with digital services for urban mobility. A service for sharing electric vans has huge potential for growth,” says Dr. Rainer Kallenbach, president of the Connected Mobility Solutions division at Bosch. With more than 330 stores, toom is one of the top providers in the German home-improvement industry.

From December 2018, it will only take a few clicks for customers at five selected stores to directly book an electric van on site, and quickly and simply take stone slabs, balcony plants, and paint pots home with them. “As a company committed to sustainability, we are always eager to constantly improve our contribution to environmental protection. We’re therefore very pleased that we can now offer our customers an eco-friendly way of taking their purchases home,” says Wolfgang Vogt, toom’s managing director for finance and personnel.

Bosch is already well versed in the sharing services business, as demonstrated by Coup, its rental service for electric scooters. Since its launch in 2016, Coup has constantly expanded, and now has a fleet of 3,500 scooters in Berlin, Paris, and Madrid.

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