SANDY SPRINGS, GA – Mercedes-Benz has announced that they will be launching a complete line of fully-electric vans in 2026 – dubbed Van.EA – that will be based on a newly-developed, fully scalable architecture that will be used as the basis for a variety of vehicle types, ranging from mid-sized luxury vans to full-size cargo and camper vans.
Mathias Geisen, head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, made the announcement at a press conference on Monday, saying that new advances in technology have given the company a more versatile base platform upon which to develop their line of EV vans.
We will merge our midsize and large vans onto one platform,” he said. “That wasn’t possible in the past.”
Van.EA will not only be used to manufacture cargo and passenger vans, but the company’s new scalable architecture will enable Mercedes-Benz to develop new types of vehicles catering to very specific markets. For example, the mid-sized version of this architecture – called Van.EA-P – will be utilized in the United States to produce high-end family vans and luxury shuttles.
The new platform is not considered a replacement for the recently-discontinued Metris line, Geisen said, which was purely a commercially-focused vehicle; Van.EA, in contrast, is geared solely to the luxury consumer market and will feature cutting edge technology and amenities.
The van we will launch based on the Van.EA platform will have an absolute focus on luxury and has nothing to do with a Metris, has nothing to do with a commercial application,” he said. “We’re completely free when it comes to styling, when it comes to the interior and exterior design, when it comes to autonomous features. It will have the latest and greatest available.”
Currently, the Van.EA-P platform is slated to have a range of over 310 miles and will launch with level 2 driver assistance functionality, similar to what Mercedes-Benz offers in its current passenger cars; Level 3 driver assistance will be available by 2030.
Christopher Boyle is an investigative journalist, videographer, reporter and writer for SEARCHEN NETWORKS® as well as other independent news and media organizations in the United States. Christopher works on a wide variety of topics and fields, has been featured in print and online in a variety of publications, from local to national, and helps keep a keen-eye on what’s happening in the automotive world for Auto Buyers Market.