Mercedes-Benz Vans Body Builder Solutions

Mega-trends such as digitalisation and electrification offer great opportunities for van customers' industries while at the same time presenting them with major challenges. For example, the market for fresh food deliveries offers major commercial potential internationally. However, transporting temperature-sensitive goods demands optimal use and cooling of the cargo space, because these goods require, for example, different storage temperatures. The vehicle must also be able to be integrated into the logistics chain as efficiently as possible. In addition, end customers in this segment particularly value sustainability and CO2 reduction.

The same can be seen in other sectors: With the fast growth of online retail, courier express parcel service providers are seeing exponential order growth, but at the same time average revenue per consignment is falling. New mobility concepts and increasing cost pressure are changing passenger transportation. The desire for more sustainability and flexibility means that connectivity solutions are increasingly coming into focus. Construction clients, on the other hand, continue to need more classic van features: reliability, robustness and safety.

Mercedes-Benz Vans aims to meet all of these requirements and needs. The company relies on intensive cooperation with leading high-performance bodybuilders. At the "Clever Bodybuilder Solutions 2019" event at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Ludwigsfelde, Mercedes-Benz Vans, together with bodybuilders, presents a total of 34 outstanding bodies for the brand's entire van fleet. The spectrum ranges from aluminium dump trucks to a bus for wedding guests and covered nine different sectors: “Trade and eGrocery”, “Service and Crafts”, “People Mover”, “Restricted Mobility”, “Camper Van”, “CEP and Logistics”, “Construction”, “Emergency, Rescue and Municipal” and “Further Industries”.

Fully electric refrigerated vehicle for delivering food products

Key themes included the current challenges in the digitalisation, electrification and sustainability sectors. Examples of this are two vehicles from the eGrocery sector. In a customer co-creation approach, Mercedes-Benz Vans and bodybuilder Kerstner developed the "Arctic Fox", which is based on the eVito and is a perfect eGrocery vehicle for urban areas. It has an electric drive and an electrically operated cooling system, so that food products can be delivered with zero local emissions. Its innovative feature is that the cooling system is connected to the vehicle electrical system, which minimises the need for additional batteries. In September, the ""Arctic Fox" demonstrated its suitability for everyday use in a four-week pilot project with online meal kit provider HelloFresh in Belgium. The "Arctic Fox" supported up to 50 deliveries per tour and was able to keep the temperature in the cargo area (chilled goods) reliably. Thus it fulfilled the urban delivery use case successfully. The aim is to extend the concept for zero local emissions delivery of temperature-sensitive products to other sectors and series in future.