MERCEDES-BENZ

WINTER TESTS OF THE NEW SITE BEFORE ITS MARKETING

With a price in Germany of 39,900 euros, the new Mercedes-Benz eVito is the electric version of the light commercial Mercedes-Benz Vans, the first launch in the market of the strategy of electrification of the line of commercial vehicles of the brand and that will be continued also with the future eSprinter version derived from the new generation of Sprinter which will be launched in 2019, and also by eCitan based on the lightest Citan model.Taking advantage of the fact that the first eVito units will begin to be delivered to customers in the second half of this year, the manufacturer showed how the model behaves against extremely low temperatures, especially in the driving part, battery charge and autonomy.Normally the winter tests of the vast majority of manufacturers take place in the vicinity of the Arctic Circle, but it is in Arjeplog, Sweden, where Mercedes-Benz has special installations where the Vito electric has been tested in low temperatures as -30 ° C, emphasizing especially cold start and battery recharging. The conclusion is that the new eVito is capable of working perfectly in the most adverse conditions.









Dynamically, a fleet of units was tested on a lane created on a frozen lake, where the brakes and ESP stability control were tested.

Also tested was the 41.4 kWh capacity battery equipped by the German electric van. It is that at such a low temperature the components of the propulsion system can be frozen, preventing the car from starting normally, and in case of doing so, it can count on an autonomy of 150 kilometers, while the process of thawing lasts. In very bad conditions, Mercedes-Benz points out that the autonomy actually decreases, but it still counts for about a hundred kilometers.Mercedes-Benz has also tested the heating system, not only to ensure its operation, but also because it needs to have the same quality standard as any other model of the star brand, being able to offer an ideal temperature in markets where to open the glass just for a moment means literally 'freeze from cold' and also that it is able to defrost the windshield and allow the glass to not crack. All this has been tested by electronics and electricity specialists from the Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicle division, which are not the same as passenger cars.

Autonews