ABM Q4 - Flipbook - Page 79
Q&A
MERCEDES-BENZ VANS
there's a bit of education that needs to
be done. Can we produce the vehicles?
Yes. Is it to the number of the ZEV
Mandate? No, I don't think anybody is,
but that's down to customer demand.
Are we doing everything we possibly can
with SMEs and fleets to demonstrate the
product? Yes, and we are seeing a good
adoption rate with the large fleets.
We have future product coming as
electric, and that architecture will
eventually take combustion as well – but
we'll be electric-first.
Everybody has work to do when it
comes to the mandates. Customers need
to believe in the product, but OEMs can't
do it alone. We need to make sure the
customer comes first and it's right for
them, so working on range and things like
that is also really important.
SN: In certain segments of the market
there are what we call leverage accounts,
or halo accounts. Some of those have
engaged wholeheartedly with electric.
Other clients operating in that sector are
saying, "How are they making that work?
Why can't we?" That in itself is leading to
the profile of EVs being raised and more
questions being asked. With the 2030
mandate, it's just about time and pace.
Is this pushing you into areas
you weren't in before, like
charging?
SN: It is, but in some ways it's never
been any different. It's consultation. The
easier you can make it for a client to not
go anywhere else, because you're allencompassing, the better. When the client
calls you, if they can rest easy, they don't
need to go anywhere else.
Are we ever going to see
an electric Sprinter with the
same kind of range?
IF: It really depends on the battery
technology, and on all the different
components. Would we love to see a onefor-one replacement for diesel? Yes. Is
that possible in the near future? I guess it
depends on the battery and cost, too.
Some of the charging in the latest
SIMON NEILL
Mercedes-Benz models is instant, so
quick by comparison. It's just getting
faster and easier. The more people
adapt to electric, the more you adapt to
how you operate – it's a use case. You
think, "maybe I have to plan a little ahead
now, but with the faster charging, I don't.
I have to stop to go to the toilet anyway,
so I plug it in, and by the time I come
out, it's done."
SN: What I'm seeing now, in terms of
the longevity I've had in the business, is
the speed at which those adaptations
are taking place. We brought the Vito
E-Cell to market first in 2011 – 30 miles. It
wasn't a game changer, but nevertheless
we were out there in 2011. Then, in the
latter part of that decade, we started to
bring in the first generation of electric,
and here we are less than six years later
looking at, for example, the new eSprinter
with ranges north of 200 miles.
The feedback we're getting from clients
in real-world operations – e-grocery,
parcel delivery – is "wow". The adoption
curve is off the scale.
Do you see any future in
non-electric commercial
vehicles?
SN: Never say never. Because of the way
development is happening in the market,
and the way certain macroeconomic →
Q4
Q2 2026
AUTOMOTIVE BUSINESS
79
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