On December 12, German automaker Mercedes-Benz disclosed its intentions to invest roughly €1.3 billion in a Polish plant for its electric vans production, according to Economic Times.
Mercedes-Benz inked a memorandum of understanding with the government of Poland to construct an electric van manufacturing facility in Jawor. Notably, it is where the automaker’s ICE vehicles have been manufactured since 2019 and its batteries since 2021.
“As we flexibly manufacture vans with combustion and electric drivetrains in all our existing plants, we will build our first pure electric plant in Jawor. We thus set new standards and move forward on our path towards sustainable, fully electric mobility.”
Mathias Geisen, Head of Mercedes‑Benz Vans
Purpose
Undoubtedly, Mercedes-Benz aims to compete with its rivals worldwide in the electric vehicle industry. Apart from developing a manufacturing plant solely for large electric vans, the investment will aid Mercedes-Benz Vans in overseeing every step of the value chain, including sourcing, manufacturing, logistics, and sales.
It is worth noting that the plan to produce e-vans for the European market initially involved the American automaker, Rivian. However, it did not materialize as Rivian suddenly canceled the partnership, citing the high cost of producing electric vehicles.
Nonetheless, Mercedes-Benz will push through with its goals to produce electric vans based on its new all-electric van platform, VAN.EA (Van Electric Architecture) from 2025 as it aims to achieve its target of a 100% electric vehicle line-up.
