Enlarge / Mercedes-Benz has electrified its Sprinter van and given it more range than Ford's E-Transit or the Rivian Delivery Van. (credit: Tim Stevens)

Mercedes-Benz provided flights from Albany to Los Angeles and accommodation so we could drive the new eSprinter. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

There are plenty of ways for small businesses to celebrate their success. It might be a flashy new sign outside, a high-end furniture set inside, or an advertising campaign that they might never have imagined when they started up. But, for businesses literally on the move, the purchase of a first new van is definitely a major milestone. In 2024, the Mercedes-Benz eSprinter may become the new aspirational acquisition for many small businesses.

Lots of range and lots of space

The Sprinter has been on the US market for over 20 years since it began production at the Mercedes-Benz factory in Charleston, South Carolina. The new eSprinter marks the first time it has gone fully electric, and yes, that version will be assembled in America, too, augmented with a 113 kWh lithium ferro phosphate (LFP) battery pack powering a 134 hp (100 kW) or 201 hp (150 kW) motor driving only the rear wheels. Mercedes estimates a range of 273 miles (440 km) on the European WLTP cycle, which will probably mean somewhere around 250 miles (402 km) when tested with the US EPA cycle .

That battery pack is situated in the floor, between the frame rails, still making room for a cavernous, 488 cubic-foot (13,819 L) cargo compartment. At nearly 24 feet long (280 inches/7,112 mm), it's enough space to carry about a dozen pinball machines or an entire Jabba the Hutt, complete with all his cackling cronies.

Enlarge / Everyone loves a good van, and Supervan 4.2 is a very good van. (credit: Ford)

Ford provided accommodation and flights from Washington to Charlotte so we could attend the 2024 season launch of Ford Performance. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

Concorde, NC—On Wednesday, Ford Performance held an official launch event for the 2024 season. The new GT3 version of the Mustang makes its competition debut at next weekend's Rolex 24 at Daytona, marking the start of a new approach to racing for the Blue Oval, one that involves selling customer race cars as a business line, not just a factory team. While we were there, we also rode in a new electric racing truck demonstrator , but the main reason I got on the short flight down to Charlotte was to check out one of the most delightfully weird race cars of the past few years, the Ford Transit Supervan 4.2.

It's the latest in a line of wild demonstrator vehicles based on the venerable Transit van, Ford's commercial workhorse in Europe and, increasingly, the US. Ford started making an electric version of the Transit a couple of years ago, and when we drove that electric van , I might have driven a couple of the engineers and PR people to tears by repeatedly asking them, "So, are you going to make a Supervan version of this, too?"

The first Supervan dates back to 1970 (or maybe 1971), when someone had the bright idea to stick a Transit body shell on a Ford GT40 race car chassis as a way to promote the new van. The 1980s and 1990s saw two new Supervans, this time using Formula 1 engines. Now that EVs are the new hotness, the appeal of an electric Supervan probably seemed obvious.

Enlarge / Amazon had Rivian design and build it a custom electric delivery van, which started production in 2021. (credit: Amazon)

Depending on where you live, your Amazon order may have been delivered by one of the company's striking-looking Rivian electric delivery vans. Made by the same company that builds highly capable electric trucks and SUVs for the affluent tech crowd, Rivian has now built more than 5,000 delivery vans for the online retailing giant. The vans have delivered more than 150 million packages to date.

Amazon and Rivian made news together in 2019 when the former led a $700 million investment round into the EV startup. A few months later, Amazon announced an order of 100,000 electric vans from Rivian . At the time, Amazon's then-CEO Jeff Bezos said all 100,000 vehicles would be deployed by 2024—a timeline that even pre-pandemic appeared extremely optimistic; the official press release gave a more circumspect 2030 deadline. The vans began delivering packages in 2021 .

Like the BrightDrop Zevo 600 , the Rivian van is a clean-sheet design, optimized specifically for Amazon's logistics workflow. It's equipped with a full suite of advanced driver assistance systems, and the cab design minimizes blind spots. It even has a charming appearance, much like Rivian's R1 series, thanks to friendly round daytime running lights.

Enlarge / We know you love the idea of electric camper vans, and it seems so does Mercedes-Benz Vans. (credit: Mercedes-Benz)

Mercedes-Benz Vans is on the verge of launching its next big thing. On Tuesday, the luxury carmaker’s Vans division detailed a new fully scalable electric vehicle architecture, called Van.EA, which is expected to bear fruit in 2026. From midsize luxury vans to full-size cargo and camper vans, Mercedes-Benz says Van.EA will provide extremely versatile bones.

"We will merge our midsize and large vans onto one platform," Mathias Geisen, head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, told reporters during a press conference on Monday. "That wasn't possible in the past."

How will that work? Basically, Van.EA will consist of three main parts. Up front, a common axle and electric drive unit will be shared across all Van.EA vehicles. The middle section will be the most flexible, with different lengths and battery sizes depending on the type of van. Finally, two rear-end options will be offered: one with an electric drive motor, for a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setup, and one without this extra power unit, for front-wheel-drive vehicles.

Enlarge / Mercedes-Benz Vans eSprinter will go on sale in the US in the second half of 2023, then Europe before the end of the year. (credit: Mercedes-Benz)

On Tuesday, Mercedes-Benz debuted its latest electric vehicle, and this time it's not a sedan or an SUV. It's the eSprinter, an electrified version of Mercedes-Benz Vans' workhorse, and it goes on sale in North America later this year, with European sales set to follow sometime before the end of 2023.

American consumers have mostly given up on the van, but on the commercial side of things, the shed-on-wheels appears to be gaining in popularity, especially since European imports like the Ford Transit and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter started strutting their stuff on US roads.

Ford was the first to electrify its commercial van; we drove the E-Transit at the beginning of 2022 . Now it will have competition for emissions-free vantime, at least once the eSprinter goes on sale in the second half of this year. Production is scheduled to start in Düsseldorf, Germany, and then eSprinters will also be built in Ludwigsfelde, Germany, and Charleston, South Carolina, in time.

Enlarge / After successful pilot programs, DHL is expanding its fleet of electric delivery vans with a big order from Ford Pro. (credit: Charlie McGee)

On Monday, the Ford Motor Company and courier company DHL announced a new deal to supply the latter with 2,000 electric cargo vans by the end of 2023. The Ford E-Transits will be used in both Europe and the Americas for last mile deliveries as DHL works on becoming carbon neutral over the coming years.

"Electrification of last mile logistics is a major pillar to decarbonize our operations. Adding the new Ford E-Transit to our global fleet of around 27,000 electric vans further strengthens our capability of providing green delivery services worldwide. Joining forces to address our logistics specific requirements will drive operational and service efficiency further," said Anna Spinelli, Deutsche Post DHL Group's chief procurement officer.

These 2,000 new E-Transits won't be DHL's first EVs, as in 2021 before the launch of the E-Transit, DHL added at least 98 electric Transit 350 HD vans converted from diesel power to electric powertrains by Lightning Motors.