It’s good to be Mercedes Benz, as the German manufacturer picks up a grant of up to €9million for the research and development, testing and trial of battery electric vans.
The money comes from the Federal German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Reactor Safety as part of its Economic Support Program II. Up to 50 Mercedes Benz vans will be produced and delivered with the drive system configured for electric operation.
The focus will be placed on adapting the drive system, along with energy management and the recuperation of braking energy. It will also look at the provision of replacement parts, as well as charging and diagnostic systems. Further emphasis will be placed on the lithium-ion battery that supplies the electric van with power. In order to enhance the operating life and performance of the lithium-ion battery, temperature is a key factor.
Research and development will primarily take place in Stuttgart and will be focused on safeguarding employment and developing know-how in electric mobility and its technology. Infrastructure related aspects will also be explored during the trials.
The aim of the all the projects is to extend the technologies developed to other van model series and to achieve a production maturity in a short time. It is expected that Mercedes Benz Vans will begin testing the electric van with selected customers in 2010.
