Mercedes has released more details about the VAN.EA platform that will underpin all Mercedes mid- and large-class vans from 2026.
From 2026, Mercedes will use a single, modular, scalable platform VAN .EA for all mid- and large-class vans. The VAN.EA platform is a dedicated electric platform built from the ground up.
The VAN.EA platform consists of three modules:
– The front module consists of the electric propulsion system and the front axle and is identical on all van versions.
– The central module is the one that determines the length of the vehicle and is where the standardized battery housing is placed.
– The rear module is available in two versions: with an electric motor for the electric all-wheel drive versions and without an electric motor for the front-wheel drive versions.
Combining these modules makes it possible to differentiate between versions for private and commercially used vans. Thus, there are two possible versions of the VAN.EA platform: VAN.EA-P for privately positioned vans in the midsize segment and VAN.EA-C for premium commercial vans in the midsize and large segments.
The VAN.EA-P category includes VIP shuttles or vans for leisure-active families. They will have a WLTP range of well over 500 km and SAE Level 2 autonomous driving at market launch, with SAE Level 3 planned by the decade’s end.
The VAN.EA-C includes courier, express, and parcel delivery vehicles to ambulances and grocery vans, from municipal vans or flatbeds to lifting platforms or recreational vehicles (ex-factory midsize and larger camper vans). They will be SAE Level 2 self-driving at the start of sales and reach SAE Level 4 by the end of the decade.
Mercedes wants 20% of commercial vehicles sold in 2026 to be electric, which will rise to 50% in 2030. Currently, Europe accounts for 60% of Mercedes-Benz Vans division sales, and Mercedes wants to tap the growth potential for premium commercial large vans in the U.S. and luxury private vans in China.
Production network
Mercedes will produce vans based on the VAN.EA platform at four plants:
– new plant in Jawor, Poland, for pure electric light commercial vehicles (eLCV)
– the plant in Dusseldorf, Germany, for the eSprinter, the Sprinter with conventional engines and the large cab chassis based on the VAN.EA
– the Ludwisfelde plant for the Sprinter, eSprinter, and eVan customization, e.g., camper vans.
– the plant in Vitoria, Spain, for the midsize-class vans based on the VAN.EA platform.