Copyright jalopnik
We don't have many details about the 800-volt VAN.EA platform, but it being a dedicated modular architecture means there will be a bigger difference between the VLE and its commercial Vito/Metris siblings. Mercedes drove a VLE prototype from Stuttgart almost 700 miles across the Alps to Rome and it only needed two 15-minute charging stops, so it should boast some impressive specs. We also know it'll be available with rear-wheel steering and all-wheel driveThe VAN.EA platform will also underpin smaller vans and larger ones like the next-generation Sprinter, and coming later this decade will be a combustion-engine version of the platform called VAN.CA that shares about 70% of parts with the EVs. Thomas Klein, head of the Mercedes vans division, says the VLE was brought from initial concept to production in record time, adding that "throughout the entire development process, we have consistently used innovative, digital methods while creating significant efficiencies." The electric VLE will be produced alongside both EV and ICE versions of the current vans and the other next-gen models, and enhancements to the plant include a new body shop paint shop and an "extensively modified" assembly hall. Mercedes says the plant is already net carbon neutral, having purchased electricity from renewable sources from 2013, and it has a PV system to generate green electricity itself. The plant also uses geothermal energy to heat the facilities, with waste heat from that being used during the painting process. Mercedes will reveal the VLE in the first half of 2026, and it should go on sale in Europe soon after, with the U.S. and other markets to follow soon after. I can't wait.
