MERCEDES-BENZ Vans and US electric vehicle start up Rivian have announced a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop two new electric vans.
One van will be based on the VAN.EA platform, the Mercedes electric van architecture, and the other on the second generation Rivian Light Van (RLV) platform.
Mercedes said it would locate build of the new vans in a central or eastern European factory with production slated within two years.
Mercedes-Benz Vans currently offers four battery-electric vans: the eVito Panel Van; eSprinter; eVito Tourer; and EQV.
It also has an existing JV with Renault, which will produce the the new eCitan due later this year along and the upcoming lifestyle van EQT. The next gen eSprint will be launched in 2023.
Rivian already makes electric vans for Amazon (pictured above), and has an agreement to supply 100,000 electric vans by 2030.
Ralph Morton is the leading journalist in the leasing broker sector and editor of Broker News, the website which provides information and news for BVRLA-registered leasing brokers. He also writes extensively on the fleet and leasing market in both the UK and Europe.
