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We mostly know Mercedes-Benz in the U.S. as a luxury-car maker, but the company is a big truck and van producer as well. The familiar Mercedes logo adorning the grilles of tens of thousands of commercial vehicles in Europe and Asia and has recently begun appearing on large Sprinter diesel vans in the U.S.


Now the company has begun production of an electric-drive version of its popular Vito light van - a project first announced back in February.


The Vito E-Cell, which is larger than Ford's upcoming 2011 Transit Connect electric van, is being built at Mercedes' Vitoria, Spain plant, alongside the conventional diesel combustion engine models that have been on the market since 1996.


Mercedes said it expects sales to begin in the fourth quarter.


While the Vito EV model is intended at least initially for the European market, we suspect Mercedes won't be far behind if Ford's Transit Connect EV takes off in the U.S. light delivery vehicle market.
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Tags: Mercedes-Benz, Plug-ins and Electric, Electric Commercial Vehicles, Electric Vans, EV, Mercedes Benz Vito E Cell Van

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Mercedes Begins Electric Vito E-Cell Van Production, Plans 2,000 for Europe was originally published by Green Car Advisor. Read the full story by clicking here.