Mercedes-Benz is launching its new MPV line next year. They’ve still got some testing to do, as shown by their Arctic Circle testing, which they’ve done recently for the all-electric model. The new electric MPVs are based on the Van Electric Architecture (VAN.EA) and will soon be joined by combustion models on the Van Combustion Architecture (VAN.CA). Both will have the ability to be sourced as premium luxury or as commercial transporters.
Based on the current testing, both are going to be frost resistant as well. The test drives in the Arctic were part of their comprehensive testing program, where the vans are driven through multiple climate zones to test for any inefficiencies. The icy realm of the Arctic was the perfect place for them to test out the vehicle dynamics and safety. Since ice and snow are about 90% less grippy than asphalt, this was the perfect place to test the road holding, grip, stability, and braking.
They didn’t show up with old technology either. The new MPV has rear-axle steering, the all-electric has 4MATIC (AWD) and an 800-volt DC charging system with a 22-kW AC charger. Cold temperatures are perfect for finding all the intricacies of charging management and behavior as batteries and frost don’t mix.
Mercedes is confident they’ve found and fixed any issues. They’re reporting the MPV has passed with flying colors. But let’s wait and see how Amazon uses their new vans in the future when delivering to some mittens to a man in Gamvik, Norway (71 degrees north latitude!)
Cheers,
M. T. Blake
