Mercedes-Benz Vision Van Comes Complete With Attached Delivery Drones

By Tony Markovich - September 15, 2016

mercedes-van

Mercedes-Benz already makes some of the most utilitarian vans on the market with the Sprinter line. They can be incredible camper vans, great family haulers, mobile workshops, or basically whatever you want them to be. But Benz still wants to improve, and with its newest “Vision” vehicle (following concepts like the Gran Turismo and Tokyo), the brand is looking to functionally connect its products with a smart supply chain.

The Vision van is built for logistics and pulls out all the technological stops that appear to be the future. It has an electric powertrain, it’s autonomous, it literally has delivery drones on top of it, and it would be completely connected with headquarters and other delivery vans.

delivery

If you’re questioning the windowless design, just remember that with no driver (well, there might be a person inside, but they wouldn’t be driving), there’s no reason for them. The large digital screen “grille” is pulled straight from aforementioned concepts, as are the headlight and taillight styles.

This van is part of what Mercedes-Benz is calling adVANce, a “strategic future initiative” to become a “supplier of holistic system solutions.” You might have noticed in the photos that the rear and interior are completely optimized for storage and easy product swaps with a cartridge-like setup to maximize efficiency while at a distribution center. The connected system would also automatically calculate the most efficient route, based on where the packages are going.

With a 75 kW electric drive system that has a range of 168 miles, Mercedes-Benz also points out that these vans would be allowed into city centers that are increasingly banning traditional gas vehicles.