Part-time van-lifers rejoice. Mercedes-Benz just teased its fully electric camper van concept, called the Concept EQT Marco Polo. The German car maker offered up a photo of its concept, but is planning to debut the electric van next month. While the December reveal will be just a conceptual vehicle, Mercedes-Benz is planning on making a production model later on.
Looking at the name gives us a good idea of what the Concept EQT Marco Polo will be. The EQT portion of the name means it will be an electrified version of a model in Mercedes-Benz’s T-Class category of small vans. The Marco Polo name references the automaker’s premium camper van buildout that we saw earlier this year that was based off its V-Class range. Of course, the Concept in its name means this model isn’t meant for market.
Camping in style — Mercedes-Benz didn’t reveal many specs just yet for its Concept EQT Marco Polo. All we know so far is that it has a pop-up roof for sleeping and a bed and kitchen unit that can be installed or removed quickly.
Going off the existing Marco Polo van, the EQT version will likely have a fold-out sliding table, a bench that converts into more sleeping space, and swiveling front seats. The concept will also pull from the T-Class’ design features like a low-loading sill and sliding doors.
The van life movement has been growing in popularity, with many influencers posting their full-time on-the-road adventures online. However, the Concept EQT Marco Polo seems like it’s more tailored towards those looking to go on weekend adventures since it can easily be converted back into a regular van as a daily driver.
December debut — Still, it’s nice to see automakers embrace a design that’s geared more towards outdoorsy folks, particularly since that’s the demographic that would value owning an electric vehicle.
Mercedes-Benz is expecting to debut the Concept EQT Marco Polo on December 2 and will debut the actual EV camper model that’s expected to go into production in the second half of 2023. Unfortunately, we’re not sure if Mercedes-Benz has any plans to bring the production model to the U.S., though it has brought previous Mercedes-Benz campers stateside.
