Mercedes-Benz is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of commercial vans, especially at the high end, and the company is looking to protect that status in the future with an electric concept van announced Tuesday at the Geneva Motor Show.
The EQV concept van, as it’s called, is supposedly capable of traveling up to 249 miles on a full charge thanks to a 100kWh battery that makes up most of the van’s floor. (That would tie it with Tesla for the largest commercial battery pack in a road car at the moment.) A 150kW (201 horsepower) electric motor system on the front axle will provide some kick, too. The van will also feature Mercedes-Benz’s voice-activated MBUX infotainment system, which offers EV-specific features like the ability to base the navigation on how much battery is left.
The van is decked out with lots of subtle luxury touches (in concept form, at least). Rose gold accents ring the interactive elements of the dashboard. The same color is found in the piping on the van’s six seats (option-able up to 7 or 8), which contrasts against an dark blue and black leather.
Mercedes-Benz says the EQV concept will slot into the German automaker’s EQ lineup of electric vehicles, with the first few serving as harbingers of a greater push for electrification in the years to come. The final production version of the EQV will be debuted at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, which takes place in September. If it has anything close to the specs Mercedes-Benz is teasing in the concept, it should be capable of doing as much as the other early EVs in the EQ lineup. In fact, it might even have the EQC, the company’s first long-range electric SUV, beat on range when all is said and done.