Reducing fuel consumption and carbon emissions are undoubtedly the big issues of the moment for most van owners.
While motorway warriors might already enjoy decent mpg figures, historically it has never been so easy for vans used on urban work to reduce their fuel consumption. Idling time – whether at traffic lights or in queues – wastes terrific amounts of fuel.
The Mercedes-Benz ECO-Start system is designed to address this and one of the first vehicles to benefit from it is the company’s award-winning new Sprinter range. ECO-Start is now being fitted as standard to all 4-cylinder, manual Sprinters and it has now made its way into the rental market, courtesy of leading van hire company Northgate Vehicle Hire.
The Northgate name might not be familiar to you, but one of the companies they supply with hire vehicles is easyVan – and the new ECO-Start Sprinters are being trialled at three easyVan branch locations.
The trial locations are:
- Southampton – Delta Vehicle Hire
- Birmingham – Cartrux Vehicle Hire
- Bristol – Bristol & West Vehicle Hire
Mercedes state that the ECO-Start system can reduce fuel consumption by up to 10% – but trials in Commercial Motor and Motor Transport magazines have produced far bigger savings – of up to 30%, according to BigLorryBlog (penned by Commercial Motor editor Brian Weatherley).
I expect that the ECO-Start system will be a big hit with fleet and rental buyers – once it proves its long-term reliability and van drivers get used to the idea of the engine stopping and starting on its own! If you’re keen to try one out, then get in touch with one of the Northgate branches listed above or head over to your nearest Mercedes-Benz van dealer for a test drive.