Mercedes-Benz plans new electric van lineup, including camper

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Mercedes-Benz mid-May revealed plans for a new “electric architecture” to underpin all mid- and full-sized vans as of 2026. Introduced today, the VAN.EA platform will arrive in North America in a number of never-before-seen-there forms: as a luxury mid-size passenger van, and perhaps as a factory-built RV.

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As seen in the attached renderings, the EA features three blocks, with the front unit – standard across variants – containing the powertrain and front axle. Batteries are stored in the middle block, which will vary in length depending on the vehicle. And the third block will either contain an electric drive for all-wheel-drive vans; or not—no rear-wheel-drive options here.  

But despite the modular nature of the platform, it’s not going to be offered in as many variants as the outgoing ICE models—Benz says it will cut variant numbers by over 50 per cent, but will still cover the required bases. 

The VAN.EA-P (“P” for private) models will marry luxurious interiors with an estimated 500 km of range and SAE Level 2 automated tech, to be followed by Level 3 in 2030. The VAN.EA-C (“C” for commercial) will offer businesses and brands the opportunity to customize their vans at the factory level.

There are also factory-built mid- and full-size VAN.EA RVs in the works, but they haven’t been cleared for North America quite yet. 

Mercedes-Benz hasn’t set a best-before date on its gas vans, but we know it hopes to have 20 per cent of its fleet be electric by 2026 and 50 per cent by 2030.