Mercedes-Benz and Rivian have announced plans to work together on a joint venture that will see both companies produce a new electric large van.
The two companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding and will aim to make the most of shared investments, share costs and will look to find ways to make electric vans and to do so faster.
The plan is for two new vans to be made to start off with, one based on Mercedes’ electric platform (VAN.EA) and one on the Rivian Light Van (RLV) structure. The latter would be the second vehicle to be made on that platform.
The plans will not stop there, though, with more options set to be explored in the future.
No more diesels planned
Mercedes-Benz has confirmed that all newly introduced vans will be electric only by the middle of this decade, which means that future vehicles will have to be developed from the ground up. To this end, Mercedes is creating the new VAN.EA structure.
This new platform has been described as ‘modular’ which means that it can be adapted to different sized vehicles. It will form the basis of medium vans as well as the planned large ones, therefore.
This doesn’t mean that the existing Sprinter, Vito and Citan will cease to exist from the middle of this decade, but just that these will be the last versions of each of these vans to be made with combustion engines.
Electric only expertise
While Mercedes brings the established name, distribution network and factory locations, Rivian brings some real electric only knowledge. The American company was founded in 2009 and has set out to be an electric manufacturer from the outset, creating high-end off-road oriented vehicles.
It has so far created the R1T electric pickup and the R1S SUV, both of which are available to reserve for buyers in the US with deliveries set to commence in late 2023.
Where will the new vans be made?
Mercedes has confirmed that its Dusseldorf plant, which is where the current Sprinter and e-Sprinter are made, will be adapted to make the chassis cab versions of the new VAN.EA large van. This adapting will represent a big investment, of around 400 million Euros. The panel van versions will be made at an established plant from the Mercedes’ network in central or eastern Europe, although the company hasn’t confirmed where that will be.
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