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Mercedes-Benz unveils all-new eSprinter to take on Ford’s E-Transit

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Mercedes-Benz unveiled its all-new eSprinter electric van today, which the German automaker pledges is its most efficient eVan yet.

It will take on the Ford E-Transit, which has widely dominated the all-electric sprinter market with only a handful of worthy competitors.

With plans to build the vehicle in North America and Europe, Mercedes-Benz said it would be its most efficient and versatile eVan. It will be the first time American customers can utilize a Mercedes-Benz eVan to make their fleets more sustainable.

Packing up to 400 kilometers (248.5 miles) of WLTP range based on simulations, Mercedes said its city cycle tests performed even better, with the eSprinter getting 500 kilometers (~311 miles) on a single charge.

 

It has 488 cubic feet of load capacity, with a permissible gross weight of 4.25 tons.

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“With the new eSprinter, we are taking the electric large van segment to a new level,” Mathias Geisen, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans. “The triad of efficiency, range, and load capacity with simultaneous TCO optimization makes the new eSprinter the most versatile Mercedes-Benz eVan ever.”

With versatility and technical innovations taking precedence, Mercedes-Benz said the new eSprinter would feature three modules, part of a new concept idea the automaker developed with consumers in mind. The modules will allow freedom in the development and design of various conversion paths, as not all eSprinter vans will be used for the same applications.

The three-module system is broken down into a front, battery housing, and rear, specifically responsible for the electrically driven rear axle:

“The front module, a uniformly designed front section, includes all high-voltage components and can be combined unchanged with all vehicle variants, regardless of wheelbase and battery size. The module for the integrated high-voltage battery is located in the underbody to save space. The battery location between the axles, together with the robust battery housing, results in a low center of gravity, which has a positive influence on handling and increases driving safety. The third pillar of the modular design is the rear module with the electrically driven rear axle. Following the principle of the common parts strategy, this is used in all variants of the all-new eSprinter. The compact and powerful electric motor is also integrated into the rear module.”

Mercedes-Benz plans to utilize LFP, or lithium-iron-phosphate battery cell chemistries, in the eSprinter pack, which is free of cobalt and nickel but offers less power and range than others. It will pack 113-kilowatt hours of usable capacity and can be charged at speeds of 115 kW, getting batteries from 10 to 80 percent in about 42 minutes. The eSprinter is capable of both AC and DC charging.

The all-new eSprinter will also utilize the Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX), which packs numerous features and services to promote ease of access and usability.

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These include real-time range estimates based on current traffic conditions and route topography. It will also show drivers the best charging strategy route to promote less travel time, and voice control functions.

Mercedes-Benz has invested around €350 million ($373,807,000) in the eSprinter project, with around €50 million ($53,401,000) going toward “each of the three plants in Charleston, Düsseldorf, and Ludwigsfelde to adapt their production.”

All vans Mercedes-Benz releases from 2025 on will be all-electric as a part of its holistic approach to transition to a fully-electric lineup.

I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Tesla Cybercab improvements are already on the minds of company engineers

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Credit: Tesla Europe & Middle East | X

Tesla Cybercab might have just rolled out to the public as it entered the company’s Robotaxi suite in Austin this past week. However, the vehicle might already be on its way to becoming even better, as the company is asking riders to describe what they’d like to see improved with the Cybercab.

Tesla sent a rider experience survey to Cybercab passengers only days after paid rides began in Austin. The questionnaire asks how satisfied riders were with the overall trip. Then it requests star ratings for availability and wait time, door functionality, vehicle touchscreen, mobile app experience, seat comfort, interior space, ride comfort, cleanliness, and cargo space.

A later section asks which features riders would most like to have and allows selection of up to three items from a list that includes heated seats, ventilated seats, fully reclining seats, a tray table, a wireless phone charger, a better sound system, and more storage. Respondents may also choose none of these or write in another idea. The survey closes with a recommendation score from zero to ten.

This rapid request for input illustrates Tesla’s habit of treating early users as collaborators rather than mere customers. The company has long refined vehicles through software updates and hardware changes informed by real-world use across its passenger cars.

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Collecting structured opinions so soon after commercial service started shows the same mindset applied to a purpose-built autonomous taxi. The questions themselves reveal an openness to cabin changes even after the first vehicles reached public streets, which is no surprise.

Tesla has always hoped to cater a great experience to anyone in its vehicles, which is why so many fan-requested features have made it into its vehicles.

Replies already circulating online favor reclining seats, tray tables, wireless charging, improved audio, and extra room when seats fold back.

Tesla Cybercabs narrowly miss deadly Amazon cargo plane crash

Those preferences point toward comfort upgrades that Tesla can implement in later production batches or through cabin revisions. Because the Cybercab is designed around software first principles, many requested amenities can arrive faster than in traditional automakers.

Tesla’s willingness to survey riders immediately after launch therefore makes near-term cabin and experience improvements likely as the team reviews responses and iterates toward a more refined robotaxi people will choose daily.

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Tesla Cybertruck engineer reveals new changes in ‘constantly evolving’ pickup

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Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer | YouTube

Tesla Cybertruck Lead Engineer Wes Morrill revealed the company has made several changes to the all-electric pickup, which he calls a “living thing, constantly evolving and improving.”

Cybertruck is manufactured at Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas just outside of Austin, and over the past few years, Tesla has continued to make small changes to the pickup to improve everything from cost, reliability, serviceablility, and manufacturability.

“The finish line isn’t getting to production. A product is a living thing, constantly evolving and improving,” Morrill added.

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Tesla Cybertruck AWD is a steal at $60k, is it still at $75k? Full Review

Some of those changes are yet to be revealed, but perhaps the most notable one was the change Tesla made to the aero shield that sits underneath the truck. In the past, it was aluminum, but now the Cybertruck is using a self-reinforcing polypropylene.

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Morrill said that the polypropylene is “stretched into fibers and then laminated into the form,” and is much more durable, much lighter, and significantly cheaper than aluminum when it is manufactured this way.

It also enabled some improvements in the geometry of the Cybertruck, improving the manufacturing around the bolts and edges, in addition to minor form changes. These all benefitted the Cybertruck in more ways than one: specifically with durability and improved drag.

Typically, Teslas are not necessarily identified by model year because these changes are fluid and occur when the company sees fit to implement them. It is not like other automotive companies, which usually make sweeping manufacturing changes when building a new model year.

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Instead, Teslas are recognized by their “generation” or “era.” For example, those with a newer Model Y might refer to their car as a “Juniper.” This is the same with Model 3, as many refer to the new body style as the “Highland.”

Tesla’s manufacturing changes are proof of the company’s constant need to improve its products and move things forward with its vehicles. There is no need to drag one’s feet and wait until next year if the product can be made better right now, and that’s precisely what Tesla did with the Cybertruck.

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Elon Musk

Tesla Cybercabs narrowly miss deadly Amazon cargo plane crash

An Amazon cargo plane crash near Miami’s airport stopped feet from dozens of Tesla Cybercabs.

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Photorealistic depiction of the Amazon Prime plane crash in Miami on Sep 3, 2026 near a fleet of Tesla Cybercab
Photorealistic depiction of the Amazon Prime plane crash in Miami on Sep 3, 2026 near a fleet of Tesla Cybercab

An Amazon Prime Air Boeing 767 cargo jet overran the runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday afternoon, killing five people and injuring five more. The jet, operated by North Carolina based carrier 21 Air as Flight 7598, touched down around 2 p.m. after arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, then crossed the airport perimeter, plowed across NW 67th Avenue and struck multiple vehicles before catching fire, according to the Associated Press.

Photos and video from the scene show the aircraft’s nose stopped within meters of a fenced staging lot holding dozens of gold painted Tesla Cybercabs, the steering wheel free robotaxi Tesla began putting on public roads in Austin last week. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue has confirmed the plane struck “multiple vehicles” but has not said whether any Cybercabs were among them, and neither Tesla nor airport officials have addressed the fleet directly.

The Cybercabs had not yet entered commercial service in Miami. Tesla’s existing Robotaxi operation there runs on modified Model Y vehicles and has been unsupervised since Ashok Elluswamy confirmed the detail on X in July.


Elon Musk offered the briefest of reactions. Replying to a Zero Hedge post about the Cybercabs sitting so close to the wreckage, he wrote a single word: “Weird.” He has not commented further, and Tesla has not issued a statement.

The timing puts Tesla’s newest vehicle near an unrelated but highly visible tragedy just days after its Austin debut, a launch that had already drawn scrutiny from federal regulators. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an audit how Tesla certified the Cybercab as compliant with federal vehicle safety standards, a process Teslarati covered after the vehicle’s September 3 launch event. That inquiry concerns the car’s lack of a steering wheel and pedals, not the Miami crash.

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Investigators from the FAA and NTSB are focused on the plane, not the parking lot beside it. Flight data reviewed by outlets including Simple Flying show the 767 touched down around 170 knots, well above the 135 to 140 knot range typical for the aircraft, though investigators have not determined a cause. Amazon said it is working with authorities and that its priority is the safety of everyone affected.

Whether any Cybercabs were damaged, and what Tesla plans for the fleet parked near one of the country’s busiest airports, remain open questions.

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