With the VLE, Mercedes-Benz Vans is launching the successor to the V-Class and EQV while simultaneously debuting its new electric van platform, VAN.EA. Already in the summer of last year, Mercedes-Benz was preparing the launch with press coverage of a prototype road trip from Stuttgart to Rome to prove its capability for long-term journeys.
The model features an 800-volt architecture, faster charging, and extended range, all aimed at attracting more private customers to electric vans. We take a closer look at the new platform and the variants planned for launch.
Battery-electric vans remain a niche market. For some customers, integration is seamless and works well in daily use, with minimal compromises. Private customers, however, who expect passenger car standards for range and charging performance in their technically almost identical electric vans, are often disappointed.
This reluctance is also reflected in Mercedes-Benz Vans’ sales figures. While the Stuttgart-based manufacturer increased electric van sales by 46% in 2025, far outperforming the passenger car division, where EV deliveries declined, the overall electric share remains modest. Of the more than 359,000 vans delivered, 28,500 were electric, representing about 8%.
Thomas Klein aims to change this. As Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, he has introduced the VLE, a model designed to eliminate, or at least significantly reduce, compromises. With over 700 kilometres of range and short charging times thanks to 320 kW charging power, the VLE even surpasses the Stuttgart manufacturer’s current SUV models, let alone the predecessor EQV.
“The VLE marks the beginning of a new era at Mercedes-Benz. It elevates everything our customers know and appreciate to a new level,” said Klein. “The combination of the versatility of an MPV, the driving comfort of a saloon, and a comprehensive spatial experience makes it absolutely unique in the segment of vehicles with up to eight seats.”
The VLE is the first model based on Mercedes-Benz Vans’ new VAN.EA platform and is positioned at the equipment level of the Mercedes E-Class, hence the ‘E’ in its name. A second model, the significantly more luxurious VLS, which will serve as the S-Class equivalent in the van segment, is set to follow.
No compromises
For Mercedes-Benz Vans, the premiere of the VLE is far more than the introduction of a new model; the first series of the VAN.EA is extremely important.
“It is the first time in years that we at Mercedes-Benz have been able to develop a new van model from a blank sheet of paper, allowing us to design the vehicle from the ground up to meet our requirements,” said Klein. The compromises made in previous models had long since become apparent. Not so with the VLE, according to the van chief.
The company describes the new platform as a ‘modular, flexible, and scalable van architecture.’ Much like in the passenger car sector, the focus is no longer on fixed vehicle platforms onto which different bodies can be mounted. Instead, the platform itself is designed to be so flexible and adaptable that it can meet diverse requirements without significant additional effort or major compromises.
That means that both a cost-optimised base VLE and a premium version with high-end equipment are easily achievable. A Vito derived from the VLE, or even the luxurious VLS, can also be optimised for their specific requirements while still using the same platform.
Flexible platform
Mercedes-Benz Vans has also become more flexible in its drivetrain offerings. “The platform is BEV-first, but internal combustion engines can also be integrated,” said Klein.
That has not always been the case: the VAN.EA was initially announced as a purely electric platform. However, as it became clear that the industry’s transition to electric mobility was not progressing as quickly as once thought, Mercedes derived the VAN.CA, the ‘Combustion’ platform variant for internal combustion engine vans, from the VAN.EA.
Two battery types
Regarding the battery, the VLE brings the latest passenger car technology to the van segment: in the VLE 300 and VLE 400 4MATIC variants, a battery with a net energy content of 115 kWh is installed, which is expected to deliver over 700 kilometers of WLTP range in its most range-optimised configuration.
Since the NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt) cells are configured as an 800-volt system, DC charging power of up to 320 kW is possible at charging stations. In 15 minutes, the VLE can recharge enough power for up to 320 kilometers.
At launch, Mercedes is highlighting the 300 and 400 variants, but there will also be a VLE 250 with an 80 kWh LFP battery (lithium-iron-phosphate). That is almost as much as the old EQV 300, which had a net energy content of 90 kWh with its NMC cells at the time.
The big difference: while the EQV required up to 45 minutes at a fast charger with a maximum charging power of 110 kW, the new LFP battery can be charged at up to 300 kW. Mercedes has not yet communicated details such as the exact range or charging time, but a range of 400 to 450 kilometres seems realistic, along with significantly shorter charging times.
The German van producer expects that private customers will predominantly opt for the VLE 300 or VLE 400 4MATIC with the larger battery. The smaller and more affordable LFP battery is primarily aimed at business customers.
This includes not only tradespeople and delivery services but also shuttle fleets and hotels offering airport transfers, which have requested a more affordable model with slightly more range than the previous base battery in the EQV, which had a 60 kWh energy content.
More sustainable
The new battery is expected to have a CO2 footprint around 30% lower than conventional production methods, according to Mercedes. Some production steps, such as the manufacturing of cathode and cell housing materials using renewable energy, are already CO2-neutral on a balance sheet basis. Additionally, the battery housing and cooling body are made from over 50% recycled aluminium. Sustainability is further enhanced by easy reparability,
“The electrical/electronic components of the high-voltage battery can be repaired in Mercedes-Benz workshops worldwide due to deep service-oriented product design,” Mercedes-Benz stated. “The optimal accessibility of the E/E components in the separate E/E compartment ensures easy access to the components. This approach aims to avoid replacing the entire high-voltage battery in the event of damage.”
Flexible charging
As mentioned in the battery section, the maximum DC charging power of the larger battery is 320 kW, while the smaller LFP battery can still charge at up to 300 kW. The 115 kWh battery can be charged from 10 to 80% in 25 minutes, provided the charging station can deliver this power.
To ensure the VLE can achieve full charging power under as many conditions as possible, the van features preconditioning similar to Mercedes’ current passenger car models.
On the AC side, up to 22 kW charging power has been confirmed for the VLE 300 and VLE 400 4MATIC. For private use, 11 kW should still be sufficient to fully charge the battery overnight after work. Flexibility is also a key theme in another area. The VLE’s onboard charger is designed for bidirectional charging, enabling applications such as vehicle-to-home (V2H) and vehicle-to-grid (V2G).
Two drivetrains
Apart from the battery type and capacity, there isn’t much technical data about the VLE 250 yet. The VLE 300 features a 200 kW front-wheel drive. The VLE 400 4Matic, in Mercedes’ nomenclature, is an all-wheel-drive model, with a peak power output of 305 kW.
Thanks to the second electric motor on the rear axle, the VLE 400 4Matic can accelerate from 0 to 100 kph in 6.5 seconds, while the front-wheel-drive version takes 9.5 seconds. However, the top speed is the same for both powertrains at 180 kph.
In terms of technical design, Mercedes relies exclusively on permanent-magnet synchronous machines (PMSM). According to Mercedes’ developers, PMSMs remain the best solution for power, efficiency, and power density.
The VLE, as the first model on the new platform, is at least 5.31 meters long, 2 meters wide, and 1.93 meters high. The company states the wheelbase as 3.34 meters. For an eight-seater van, these dimensions are not unusual. However, Mercedes has decided against a shorter version of around five meters with a three-meter wheelbase.
Since the wheelbase remains well over 3.30 meters, Mercedes offers the VLE with all-wheel steering. This reduces the turning circle (curb to curb) to an impressive 10.9 meters.
Klein also points to another aspect of the body. “The drag coefficient is 0.25, which translates into very good efficiency,” says the van chief. The final homologated WLTP consumption figures are not yet available, but values of 18-21 kWh/100 km are mentioned. For a van of this size, this is quite impressive, though Mercedes has not yet disclosed the kerb weight.
Exterior design
In the AMG version, the Mercedes star is prominently displayed in the closed front grille, while in the standard and high-end ‘Exclusive’ variants, the star is freestanding on the bonnet.
Similar to the Hyundai Ioniq 9, the VLE features a continuous band of individual LED pixels in the shape of an inverted ‘U’ in the rear, with LEDs on both sides of the boot lid and the top.
The front doors of the VLE feature the extendable handles known from other Mercedes models, which will likely need to be replaced in China in the future. The rear sliding doors are already standard in the base version with electric operation. Additionally, unlike in many vans, the sliding doors’ side windows can be fully lowered.
Mercedes designers opted for an interesting door handle solution purely for aesthetic reasons: in the sliding doors, the door handle could extend, just as at the front, where there is an opening in the panel where a ‘door handle’ is installed.
However, this is merely a large button that needs to be pressed briefly; the opening and closing are purely electric. That means that, in the future in China, the opening in the panel is already provided to allow the installation of a mechanical door handle.
While the EQV had no towing capacity, the VLE 400 4MATIC can tow trailers weighing up to 2.5 tons. “This makes it perfect as a tow vehicle for caravans and boat or horse trailers. The 100-kilogram tow ball load also allows for the transport of e-bikes on a suitable carrier,” says Mercedes.
For the front-wheel-drive VLE 300, the data sheet currently only lists 1,000 kilograms. However, efforts are underway to increase the towing capacity of the VLE 300 to 1.6-1.8 tons, but this has yet to be confirmed.
Interior design
Mercedes confidently speaks of ‘redefining space for a new era,’ which is set to begin with the VLE. In such a large van, the challenge is not just to offer as much space as possible but also to consider how customers want and can use that space. It is therefore hardly possible to speak of ‘the’ VLE. The portfolio ranges from a practical family travel van to a flexible vehicle for active leisure users and exclusive shuttles.
Mercedes offers a choice of six, seven, or eight seats; there are always two in the front, with differences starting in the second row. The mechanical rear seats can be manually adjusted and removed individually. A practical detail: the seats have integrated rollers, making it easy to wheel them into the garage after removal.
The electric seats can be adjusted not only via switches on the seat itself but also via the central display or the app. That allows users to decide from home whether they need a four-seat arrangement in the rear, maximum legroom for second-row passengers, or the largest possible luggage space.
Mercedes refers to this as a ‘remote-controlled seat ballet,’ where the seats move seemingly by themselves into position at the command of a smartphone.
Even with three rows of seats, a luggage space of 795 liters remains usable. If all manually adjustable seats are removed (which is not easily possible with the electrically adjustable seats), up to 4,078 litres can fit into the VLE, “ample space for luggage or sports equipment”, as Mercedes puts it.
Whether with a large luggage space or full seating, climate control in such a large interior is a challenge. Mercedes offers three different systems depending on budget or requirements: the standard ‘Thermatic’ air conditioning, the optional ‘Thermotronic,’ and, as an additional option for the latter, a two-zone automatic climate control system for the rear.
This ensures ‘pleasant comfort temperatures’ shortly after entering, whether in summer or winter. The system first warms the upper body and hands to quickly provide ‘thermal comfort’, only then is the rest of the interior heated. A multi-source heat pump is standard for the climate system.
Possible pricing
There is no exact price list yet, but Mercedes has already provided fairly accurate indications of where the prices for the individual variants will fall, subject to the different sales countries and especially the extensive and costly customisation options.
The VLE 300, in standard equipment with the Advanced-Plus Package, is expected to start at around €79,000 as a seven-seater, while the six-seater with the AMG-Line and Premium Package will cost approximately €94,000.
The VLE 300 Exclusive with the Premium-Plus Package as a seven-seater will be well into six figures, at around €113,000, which includes the 115 kWh battery and the 200 kW front-wheel-drive powertrain. The extensive equipment is likely more relevant to the price than the drivetrain: the VLE 400 4MATIC with AMG Line Plus, Night Package, and Premium Package is expected to cost around €97,000.
For the base model VLE 250, it has been reported that it will start at around €57,000 net. With VAT, this would amount to approximately €68,000 as the entry price into the VLE range.
