Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
The future looks green for
Mercedes-Benz, which after recently presenting the Urban eTruck prototype,
could be taking the Sprinter to new heights.
Expected to come out in 2018, the van's
next iteration will have similar dimensions to the current one and, if there's
enough demand from consumers, it could adopt an electric powertrain, according
to the person in charge of developing the upcoming Sprinter, Ulf Zillig, cited
by TheDetroitBureau.
This will be possible as the engineering
teams within the 3-pointed star brand are able to share technology across
divisions and, moreover, the autonomous driving technology won't be limited to
passenger cars/SUVs, as it could also feature in the next generation of the
van.
The latest info follows Elon Musk's
announcement that Tesla Motors will soon enter the electric van market with a
similar vehicle, which is believed to ride on the same chassis as the Model X
SUV. Part of the Master Plan for Tesla, the model will also benefit from semi-autonomous
or fully autonomous driving technology, though even if development seems to be
in an advanced stage, don't expect to catch a glimpse of it before the turn of
the decade.
