Mercedes eVito Tourer electric minibus announced

Mercedes has revealed full details of its new eVito Tourer. The passenger version of the eVito van is an electric minibus offering up to nine seats in various configurations, including benches and face-to-face layouts.

The Tourer is essentially a less luxurious and more affordable version of the already revealed Mercedes EQV people carrier, aimed more at corporate fleets and taxi or ride-sharing drivers, rather than the private buyers or VIP transport operators who'd select the EQV.

Under the metal, the electric drive technology is the same as in the eVito and EQV, with a 201bhp electric motor driving the front wheels. Top speed as standard is 87mph, although this can be raised to 99mph depending on the buyer's requirements.

Using CCS rapid charging, the Tourer's 90kWh battery can be charged from 10 to 80% in around 45 minutes from a 110kW public rapid charger. A full charge should yield a driving range of just over 260 miles. From a home wallbox, a full charge to 100% will take just under 10 hours.

The battery is also charged by means of regenerative braking. The strength of this effect can be altered by the driver using controls on the steering column, while there's also an automatic mode that varies the brake-regen strength to the most appropriate level by combining information from traffic-sign recognition and other driver-assistance systems.

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Two different lengths of eVito Tourer are offered: a 'Long' 5.1-metre model and an 'Extra Long' 5.4-metre variant. Gross vehicle weight is 3,500kg and the Long model has a 999-litre luggage capacity, compared to 1,390 litres for the Extra Long. 

In its home market of Germany, the eVito Tourer can be ordered with a Mercedes home wallbox, while Mercedes' suite of 'PRO connect' digital services allow for remote control and monitoring of charging sessions and cabin temperature, as well as incorporating telematics functions to assist with fleet management.