Germany subsidizes the development of all-electric vans

Mercedes Benz is set to receive a grant of up to $13.5 Million USD from the Federal German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Reactor Safety (BMU) for the R&D, testing and trial of electrically powered vans. A declaration of intent was signed to support Daimler's efforts to improve environmentally friendly transport of goods within urban areas. Battery-powered vehicles emit significantly less noise, are free of local tailpipe emissions and cost to operate is almost insignificant compared to a conventionally powered vehicle making them very attractive for inner-city use.