An all-electric Mercedes-Benz Vito E-Cell van is to be used by npower to power the Big Dribble – a UK-wide initiative designed to raise funds for national children’s charity WellChild and backed by Great Britain Hockey.

The npower Big Dribble will start in Edinburgh on 15 April and conclude in London’s Trafalgar Square on 2 May. As part of the 40 town and city stops in between, communities will be invited to be part of a world record attempt to ‘dribble’ a hockey ball for up to 100 metres per participant, for a total of 2012km.

Equipment for the fundraising initiative will be transported in the world’s first ‘off-the-shelf’ electric van, the Mercedes-Benz Vito E-CELL, which has been selected specifically to be able to test the UK’s electric vehicle infrastructure.

The Vito E-CELL will be powered using npower’s Juice-e charging posts at each stage in an effort to showcase EV technology; on a single six-hour charge from a 380/400 volt input, the vehicle has a maximum range of 130km (80 miles). Juice-e complies with OFGEM’s green supply guidelines for tariffs providing real environmental benefit. For every unit of energy used, npower matches it with renewable energy back into the grid.

Steve Bridge, Van Sales and Marketing Director for Mercedes-Benz UK, said: “We’re used to our Vito Sport and Sport-X making people drool, and are delighted that our electric E-CELL is now helping the Big Dribble!

We are very proud to be involved and both to raise funds and awareness for WellChild, and to highlight the ease-of-use for running an electric van.”

The Mercedes-Benz Vito E-CELL is now available under a full contract hire package from Mercedes-Benz, with terms covering one to four years. It is now also eligible for the Government’s new Plug-In Van Grant.

To find out more, visit www.thebigdribble.com.