Electric Vito trialling begins

Mercedes-Benz has started production of the electric-drive Vito light van first unveiled before European parliamentarians in February. 

The company will deliver the first 100 Vito E-Cell vans to customers in Berlin and Stuttgart between now and December. The next batch is allocated to customers in Spain, where it's being built alongside diesel Vitos.

The rollout marks the commencement of a four-year customer trial program, putting the vans through about 80,000km each of daily commuting. The company plans to extend the program by another 2000 units from 2011.

Although virtually identical to its combustion-engined siblings, the Vito E-CELL replaces the normal petrol and diesel engines with a permanent synchronous electric motor beneath the bonnet. It's powered by a 400V lithium-ion battery pack housed between in place of the driveshaft and fuel tank, between the frame rails under the load area floor.

The motor, good for a peak-burst 70kW or an extended 60kW, puts its peak 280Nm of torque to tar through a single-speed transmission driving the front wheels.

Benz claims an operating range of around 130km with payloads of up to 900kg. Top speed is governed at 80km/h to help maximise charge duration.

Externally, it's near impossible to tell the E-Cell from its conventionally powered stablemates, with ground clearance and overhangs virtually identical and the vehicle charge socket neatly replacing the normal fuel filler inlet behind the same flap.

Charging takes about six hours from flat at a Level III 380/400V dedicated charging station, or about twice that long -- overnight, effectively -- from a standard 230V domestic mains outlet.

The battery pack's 192 cells, divided into 16 modules make 32kWh -- about 90 per cent of its total output -- available to power the vehicle. The remaining power is reserved for necessities like heating for the driver's seat and the external mirrors (also electrically adjustable) and the monitor for the standard reversing camera.

The battery is topped up by energy recuperation systems activated by trailing-throttle deceleration and braking. Benz has opted for water cooling end to end through the powertrain, to keep it running at optimum temperature of about 30 degrees.

The Vito E-Cell is aimed at short-haul, inner urban fleet operators with centralised vehicle garaging. The company claims it's good news for delivery van operators given to regular stopping for traffic and loading transactions.

Benz's Smart Charge Communication Unit (SCCU) allows users to schedule off-peak charging up front, either from individual vehicles or across multiple vehicles from a PC capable of coordinating parallel charging without overloading the mains network. The system also allows users to coordinate fleet activity on the basis of current battery charge data from individual vans.

For such users, EV powertrains reduce maintenance costs by dint of being simpler than combustion engines and running far fewer moving parts at lower temperatures.

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