Electric van fronts cold light of day

Mercedes' electric-drive Vito. Photo / Supplied

Electrically powered vehicles are all very well, but what happens in winter, when Jack Frost puts a go-slow on your average battery? That's a problem car companies are working on as electric vehicles head mainstream.

Mercedes has just taken an electric-drive Vito into -30C temperatures near the Arctic Circle. After all, it has to be sure that every component will work in the environment in which its vehicles will be sold - and the task is complicated by the techy ancillaries electric cars use.

The electric drive system harnesses energy generated during braking to supplement battery power, for example: how would snow affect that system's efficiency?

If it passes these tests, the Vito will tackle the Alps, Spain's summer heat and long-distance endurance tests before it enters production, just as a conventional variant would.

Mercedes says its electric Vito is designed solely to run on batteries. It can travel 130km on a single charge, with ESP, ABS and airbags all standard.

The Vito's peak output is 90kW and top speed 80km/h - enough for an urban European delivery van but unlikely to win it sales in New Zealand.