Mercedes-Benz Goes Beyond Cars to Make Cities Greener

The Mercedes-Benz vehicle ecosystem is vast, producing everything from Formula One race cars to family haulers to electric city get-arounds to cargo vans. The company's latest partnership and concept vehicle evolutions strive to green the world far beyond the tailpipe.

"We've been continuously paving the way for future mobility and wanting to be better at everything we do in comfort, in engineering (as you see in the cars), in design, in developing and producing our vehicles in a more sustainable way," a Mercedes-Benz spokesperson told Newsweek during a presentation in Frankfurt, Germany.

"For us, that means permanently creating value for stake for all stakeholder groups ... For our customers, for the employees, for investors, but also for our business partners and society as a whole. Economical, environmental and social responsibility go hand in hand along the whole value chain ... In order to achieve a long term success for the company, we need to live up to this responsibility," he said.

Added technology to the Mercedes-Benz Sustaineer concept van, which debuted this week, showcases the possibilities of a greener standard of delivery, and a cleaner planet.

Sustaineer, whose name is a portmanteau of sustainability and pioneer, is based on the current generation eSprinter, a battery-electric delivery vehicle sold globally. The innovations it includes were all designed for possible incorporation into future series vehicles rather than as grand experiments.

Themes for this fresh version of Sustaineer included thermal management, air particulate filtration, and power supply opportunities. Additionally, engineers worked to devise a parcel delivery system that would eliminate the need for an inter-city delivery hub.

Warming drivers without using energy-sucking fans

Climate control systems use a significant portion of a battery-electric vehicle's energy. Delivery vans have typically worse thermal efficiency than cars due to the in-out nature of their driver routines, as well as their bulky size and poor insulation.

Mercedes engineers have tackled the problem head on, using near-body heating similar to what is in the Toyota BZ4X and Lexus RZ to reduce energy consumption by up to 50 percent. This approach has an added benefit: The van's interior does not cool down as quickly after an unloading stop when the doors of the vehicle are opened and closed.

Heating surfaces are found in the footwell, on the driver's door, and on steering column paneling.

Sustaineer also utilizes zonal air conditioning, which modern vehicles may be familiar with if they have a model with dual-, tri-, or quad-zone climate control with different temperatures and fan speeds allowed for each.

Cleaning the air around us

Sustaineer is poised to bring air-cleaning innovation to the streets in a production vehicle. A front module filter, installed in addition to the vehicle's traditional air filter, is able to filter through particulates in the air that moves around the eSprinter as it is driving.

Developed in partnership with filtration specialist Mann + Hummel, the filter is able to reduce particulates, mainly from tires, brakes and asphalt, by up to 55 percent.

The filter has been tested for more than a year in real-life operation. Österreichische Post in Graz equipped two eSprinters with the filters then drove them a combined 22,680 miles from August 2022 to November 2023.

Analysis of the particulates picked up by the filters during those drive routes indicated that 35 percent of the matter was direct vehicle emissions. Sixty-one percent of the particles were from road abrasion and particulates kicked up from the journey.

Gaining bonus miles from sunshine

The roof of Sustaineer is covered in 4.8 square meters of solar panels that produce up to 850 watts of energy during their peak. In a sunny country, the panels could produce enough power to give an eSprinter 10 to 15 miles of additional battery-electric range in one day.

Mercedes points out that the added range is good for companies with delivery routes, but also good for overlanders or campers who may use their eSprinter as their living quarters during a vacation. With a solar panel on top, the van could power devices and small appliances to help adventurers be more independent, connected and comfortable while away from home.

This also helps eliminate the need for an on-board diesel- or gasoline-powered generator.

Last mile intermediary

Mercedes has teamed up with Onomotion, a Berlin-based cargo bike manufacturer, to equip Sustaineer as a flexible delivery hub that takes the place of a depot, operating as a micro-depot.

Each electrically-assisted cargo bicycle has a 15.5 kilometer range and features a partially closed cabin, traditional biking operational apparatuses, and a specially fitted dock where a cargo container fits. The entire unit is as long as a traditional bicycle plus a child's bike trailer meaning it fits in tight parking spaces.

Up to two large, closed containers of goods are able to be stored in the rear of the Sustaineer and transported, emissions free, from a production facility into town, where they are delivered via a cargo bike service. Each container has 70 cubic-feet of load volume and a payload capacity of up to 440 pounds.

A specially-designed lift is used to remove the wheeled Onomotion containers from the van, then link the container to the bike. The entire operation is electronics assisted and can be done by one person.

Mercedes said in a press release that this type of micro-depot approach "increases efficiency and shortens delivery times" in urban and rural areas, and is suitable for a range of industries: courier and parcel delivery, bakeries, and workwear among them.

Because eSprinter is a battery-electric vehicle, it does not loudly idle or pump pollutants into the atmosphere as it sits, on, curbside, like many delivery vehicles do.

The eSpringer plus cargo bike approach would also be city specific in roll out if it comes to market, making inroads where bicycle-based delivery services are likely already in place, like Amsterdam, London, New York City and Berlin, among others.