Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Tesla and Mercedes are Talking Electric Vans

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
Tesla has talked to Daimler about collaborating on an electric van, according to a report from Bloomberg.

The report said discussions were initiated after Tesla Chief Executive praised Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van in a November tweet.

“Maybe interesting to work with Daimler/Mercedes on an electric Sprinter. That’s a great van. We will inquire,” Musk said at the time.


Shortly after, the two companies “started sounding out possible prospects for a battery-powered van through a series of phone calls involving Jerome Guillen, a Tesla executive who previously worked for Daimler,” the report said.

“These talks are happening,” Chief Executive Officer Dieter Zetsche reportedly said Wednesday in Stuttgart, adding that the “outcome is open.”

Daimler previously announced a plan to to offer an electric version of the Sprinter this year – a 41 kWh battery that delivers 71.5 miles of range and a 55 kWh battery that offers 93.2 miles of range. It’s not clear how Tesla and Daimler may weave their products together or if they may pursue an entirely new vehicle.

The two companies have a history of working together. Daimler turned an early investment in Tesla into a $780 million profit when it sold its holdings in 2014. And Zetsche said in October that he would be open to working with Tesla again.

Daimler CEO Says Automaker Is Still Open To Working With Tesla - Tesla Motors Club

 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
As I noted several months ago, the Model X has almost exactly the same footprint as my 2004 Sprinter. The Model X is rather old technology by Tesla standards, so I would expect see a new sled that would underpin a new Model X and an electric Sprinter-type.
As I posted, the IONA van is a genuine e-sprinter chassis, but manages a substantial increase in range.