Electrifying the sprinter chassis: Protecting special superstructures and reducing TCO by 30%
Electrifying the sprinter chassis: Protecting special superstructures and reducing TCO by 30%
Is your Mercedes Sprinter with expensive custom construction facing the end due to diesel driving bans? Retrofitting to electric not only protects your investment of often over 50,000 euros but also ensures continued use for the next 10 years. Discover how you can continue to utilize your reliable chassis while significantly reducing operating costs.
The topic briefly and concisely
Protect your investment: Upgrade your Sprinter chassis with a specialty electrical conversion instead of replacing it with an expensive new purchase.
Reduce total operating costs (TCO) by up to 30% through lower energy and maintenance costs compared to a diesel or a new electric transporter.
Act in a future-proof and sustainable manner by conserving resources and avoiding CO₂ emissions through continued use in the sense of a circular economy.
For fleet operators of Mercedes Sprinter vehicles with customized and expensive bodies, looming diesel driving bans and rising operating costs represent a massive challenge. Investing in a completely new e-van is associated with costs of over 70,000 euros and means losing the proven special body. HEERO offers an innovative solution here: converting the Mercedes Sprinter chassis with a customized body to electric and continuing to use it. This approach, based on the principle of the circular economy, not only conserves valuable resources but also significantly reduces the total cost of ownership (TCO). Our patented conversion transforms your existing vehicles into powerful, future-proof e-vans with a range of up to 425 km in just 10 days.
The economic deadlock: High investments in special constructions provide protection
Many companies and municipalities have invested six-figure sums in Mercedes Sprinters with specialized bodies – from refrigerated boxes and workshop equipment to aerial work platforms. The service life of such bodies often exceeds that of the base vehicle by more than 10 years. Purchasing a new electric van would destroy this investment and incur additional costs of 20,000 to 40,000 euros for a new, identical body. Continuing to use the chassis and body is therefore the most economically sensible path. The certified conversion of Mercedes commercial vehicles by HEERO completely avoids this capital loss. This approach secures the amortization of your original investment over many more years.
HEERO D2E conversion: Technological leadership in 10 days
Converting a Mercedes Sprinter chassis to electric is a standardized and highly efficient process at HEERO. Within just 10 working days, the diesel drivetrain is replaced by our powerful electric drive with 245 hp. This process preserves not only the chassis and the body, but also the full functionality of all power take-offs. Our solution is not a niche, but an established technology that is already in use in many municipal fleets. We focus specifically on young used vehicles in order to maximize the principles of the circular economy. The process comprises the following steps:
Analysis of the base vehicle and the body (1 day)
Removal of the complete diesel drivetrain (2 days)
Installation of the pre-assembled HEERO electric drive module (3 days)
Integration of the battery modules and the charging system (2 days)
Software calibration and system tests (1 day)
Technical inspection and quality assurance (1 day)
The result is a vehicle that outperforms many new electric vans in terms of performance and range. With this technological superiority, you position your fleet for the demands of the next decade.
TCO analysis: Retrofitting is up to 30% cheaper than buying new.
The Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is the decisive factor for the economic efficiency of a fleet. Retrofitting is clearly at an advantage here. While the acquisition costs for a new electric transporter are high, the costs for a HEERO retrofit are significantly lower. Studies show that electric commercial vehicles are already often cheaper to operate today than diesel vehicles, with cost advantages of up to 0.15 euros per kilometer. Our customers save up to 30% of the TCO over a holding period of 8 years by retrofitting compared to buying a new, comparable electric vehicle with a new body. Particularly the lower maintenance and energy costs contribute to these savings. In addition, the retrofitting was eligible for funding, which further reduced the investment costs. A detailed analysis of the fleet TCO quickly reveals the enormous savings potential.
Circular economy as a future model for your fleet
By converting your Mercedes Sprinter chassis with individual bodywork to electric and continuing to use it, you are acting in the spirit of a forward-looking circular economy. Instead of prematurely scrapping a functioning vehicle and a valuable body, you extend their life cycle by at least 10 years. This significantly reduces the requirement for primary raw materials such as steel and aluminum compared to the production of a new vehicle. EU policy actively promotes this approach in order to reduce raw material dependencies and increase resource efficiency. Every conversion avoids the CO₂ emissions that would be generated during the manufacture of a new van – which is often more than 10 tons of CO₂. In this way, you make a measurable contribution to achieving your fleet sustainability goals and position your company as a pioneer.
Practical examples: Value preservation for municipalities, logistics, and crafts
The advantages of conversion are evident in many industries that rely on Sprinter chassis with expensive bodies. Continued use here is not just an option, but a strategic necessity. Examples of vehicles we regularly convert include:
Municipal vehicles: Sweepers, refuse collection vehicles, or transport vehicles for parks departments with bodies valued at over 60,000 euros.
Logistics and delivery services: Box bodies for furniture transport or refrigerated vehicles for food logistics.
Trades: Workshop vehicles with complex shelving systems and expensive equipment.
Special vehicles: Sales vehicles, food trucks, or disaster control vehicles.
For these companies, the conversion means securing a central working tool. The alternative, a new purchase, is often associated with months of waiting for the specialized body.
Future security: A step ahead of legal requirements and driving bans
The regulatory framework for commercial vehicles is continuously tightening. Cities like Stuttgart, Munich, and Darmstadt have already introduced diesel driving bans for Euro 5 standards and worse. More cities will follow, and a tightening of limit values is foreseeable. Retrofitting to a locally emission-free electric drive offers you 100% planning security and unrestricted access to all environmental zones. You make your fleet independent of future political decisions regarding diesel vehicles. This is not a reactive step, but a proactive strategic decision that guarantees the operational readiness of your fleet for the next decade. The electrification of your fleet is the best choice for a secure future.
More useful links
In this PDF, the Wuppertal Institut addresses research results or studies in the field of environment and sustainability, possibly in the context of transport or energy.
In this article, the VDE Dialog discusses the total cost of ownership (TCO) of electric trucks.
In this press release, Strategy& (PwC) addresses the breakthrough of electric trucks.
On this page, the Bundesamt für Logistik und Mobilität (BALM) provides information about the funding program Climate Protection and Innovations in Commercial Vehicles (KSNI).
On this page, the KfW describes four funding opportunities for sustainable mobility for companies.
On this page, the DIHK discusses the promotion of the circular economy in vehicles.
On this page, the Umweltbundesamt provides information about low emission zones in Germany, which were established to reduce particulate matter pollution.
On this page, the Fraunhofer IML discusses the topic of e-mobility.
On this page, the VDA discusses the drive strategy for commercial vehicles.
