Elon Musk open to working with Mercedes-Benz on electric van

Tesla CEO Elon Musk.Francois Mori / Associated Press

• Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Monday via Twitter that the automaker might make an electric van and will reach out to Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, about a potential collaboration.
• When asked if a photo he had posted of a Tesla repair van was made by the automaker, Musk replied, “No, but perhaps in a few years.”
• “Maybe interesting to work with Daimler/Mercedes on an electric Sprinter. That’s a great van. We will inquire,” Musk later said.
• Tesla declined a request for comment, and Daimler did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

 

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Monday via Twitter that the automaker might make an electric van and will reach out to Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, about a potential collaboration.

When asked if a photo he had posted of a Tesla repair van was made by the automaker, Musk replied, “No, but perhaps in a few years.”

Musk later said he would reach out to Daimler to discuss a possible collaboration on an electric version of its Sprinter van.

“Maybe interesting to work with Daimler/Mercedes on an electric Sprinter. That’s a great van. We will inquire,” Musk said.

Tesla declined a request for comment, and Daimler did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Read more: We visited a Tesla store and a Mercedes-Benz dealership — here are the biggest differences between the two

Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche said in October that the automaker would not rule out working with Tesla in the future, though he said he did not regret selling Daimler’s 4% stake in Tesla in 2014.

Daimler will release an electric version of its Sprinter van in 2019. Daimler has said the van will have a range of up to around 93 miles.

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