- “BerlKönig” is the answer of ViaVan and Berlin’s public transport company (BVG) to on-demand public transport which was launched in autumn 2018. And their fleet now also includes the eVito Tourer
- BerlKönig’s percentage of electric-powered Mercedes-Benz Vans is already greater than 50 percent and will continue to be expanded. By the end of 2020, BerlKönig hopes to be operating an all-electric fleet
- The aim of ViaVan is to establish on-demand transit services across Europe. Alongside Berlin, ViaVan is already active in Amsterdam, London and Milton Keynes. By 2025, all of ViaVan’s fleets are expected to be completely electrified
- After the eVito Panel Van, the eVito Tourer will now expand the Mercedes-Benz Vans electric-drive portfolio. Through the course of this year, the eSprinter will also be launched on the market and its launch will then be followed by an electrically powered MPV
Since autumn 2018, BerlKönig’s on-demand public transport offering has already taken to the streets of Berlin where it supplements the regular-service public transport routes with an innovative mobility service. Operated by BVG and ViaVan, 700,000 passengers have already been transported comfortably and rapidly to their destinations and the aim is that more and more electric vehicles will join the fleet in future: 19 Mercedes-Benz eVito Tourer (Electricity consumption combined: 24,2 – 20,2 kWh/100 km; CO2-Emissions combined: 0 g/km) are now strengthening the BerlKönig offering. These vehicles are the first vehicles to have been deployed in real customer operations. By 2025, all ViaVan locations will be served by electrically powered vehicles. ViaVan’s services are available in Amsterdam, London and Milton Keynes, as well as in Berlin where they are operated in a collaboration between the BVG public transport company and BerlKönig.
The overall aim and central component of the concept is to provide sustainable mobility. On the one hand, this will be achieved by means of ride sharing: BerlKönig seeks to use and fill their vehicles as efficiently as possible. An intelligent algorithm bundles together several journey requests heading in the same direction, then creates a route and books the passengers in a joint vehicle. And on the other hand, it will be facilitated by means of a fleet comprising a high percentage of electric vehicles: from the outset, BerlKönig has been operating electrically powered vehicles in the form of the B-Class Electric Drive.
The eVito Tourer – great comfort, great flexibility
Locally emission-free driving and low noise emissions are coupled with great comfort for passengers – the eVito Tourer is tailor-made for transporting people in inner cities. With the installed battery capacity of 41 kWh, the vehicle offers a total range of between 156 and 186 kilometres.1 After a charging time of six hours, the entire range is again available for use.2 The battery-electric drive system delivers an output of 85 kW and up to 295 Newton metres of torque.
The positioning of the battery in the underbody of the eVito Tourer creates a generously spacious interior without any restrictions, and thus allows as many as eight seats in addition to that of the driver to be fitted. The mid-size van can be ordered with one of two different wheelbases. The basic variant has a total length of 5140 millimetres. Meanwhile, the extra-long version measures 5370 millimetres.
Depending on the number of passengers and the desired level of comfort, the eVito Tourer offers special and flexible solutions for the demanding task of transporting people. The preconfigured seating for the passenger compartment can be tailored to individual requirements by selecting from the numerous seating variants. The maximum permissible gross weight stands at 3200 kilogrammes.
Intelligent networking
“As part of Mercedes-Benz Vans developing into a provider of holistic mobility services, we’re especially happy that our eVito Tourer is currently being put to use for the first time ever within the scope of BerlKönig’s innovative service. We are therefore combining two future-oriented topics which are of great importance to us: on-demand transport and electromobility. We shall also continue to drive forward the electrification of ViaVan,” says Steven Kasih, Manager of Shared People Mobility at Mercedes-Benz Vans. BerlKönig is the world’s biggest provider of on-demand shuttles offered by a public transport company.
Innovative start-up ViaVan
The know-how behind the BerlKönig service offering comes from ViaVan, a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz Vans and Via Inc. ViaVan is a leading provider of innovative on-demand public transport services in Europe. Through close collaboration with cities and public transport companies, ViaVan provides dynamic mobility services which supplement and strengthen existing public transport networks.
Valerie von der Tann, General Manager at ViaVan Berlin: “The integration of the world’s first eVito Tourers in our fleet is a further step towards our goal of co-operating with towns and public transport providers in order to make urban mobility more sustainable. We’re glad that today already over half of our fleet in Berlin runs on electrical power. By the end of 2020 we want to see our entire fleet in Berlin equipped with electric drives.”
Comprehensive electromobility from Mercedes-Benz Vans
Mercedes-Benz Vans is continuing to expand its product portfolio with the addition of locally emission-free electric drive systems. The first of these vehicles was the eVito Panel Van, closely followed by the eVito Tourer. And throughout the course of this year, the eSprinter will also join the line-up. At the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz Vans presented the Concept EQV – the world’s first purely battery-electric MPV in the premium segment. The vehicle offers a range of up to 400 km without compromising the usability of its interior space. The series-production variant will already be presented to the public at this year’s IAA in Frankfurt am Main.
However, the eDrive@VANs strategy not only includes the electrification of the vehicle fleet, but also the creation of a comprehensive system solution for each particular use case. Amongst other things, it features advice for choosing the vehicle, support with tools like the eVAN Ready app or the holistic consideration of the total cost of ownership. The analysis of organisational and technical characteristics at business customer locations is a decisive component for potential users of electric vans. The integration of an intelligent charging infrastructure concept creates the pre-requisites for sparing use of resources within a commercial fleet as well as allowing businesses to remain competitive.
On the road to a new type of mobility with adVANce
The ViaVan co-operation is a further milestone in implementing the Mercedes-Benz Vans adVANce future-oriented strategy. Focus within this project is on moving away from being solely a vehicle manufacturer towards becoming a provider of holistic van mobility solutions.
On-demand transport becomes truly efficient when it is operated using vehicles which offer the right mix between size and flexibility – and vans are ideal candidates in this respect. For customers, Mercedes-Benz vans offer even greater added value: they aren’t just spacious, they’re also comfortable and safe. These are also the pre-requisites for providing a new and, above all, efficient alternative to traffic in busy urban areas in a way which is both suited to requirements and sustainable.
1 Range has been determined on the basis of Directive 692/2008/EC. The range is dependent on the vehicle configuration, and in particular on the selected maximum speed restriction.
The actual range is also dependent on the individual driving style, road and traffic conditions, the outside temperature, use of the air conditioning system/heating and may differ.
[2] The battery charging time depends on the charging infrastructure.
SOURCE: Daimler AG
