Mercedes‑Benz Vans, the Österreichische Post and MANN+HUMMEL have launched a pilot project to reduce fine dust pollution and to gain comprehensive insights into effectiveness, weather influences and durability in real-life operation.

For this purpose, two eSprinter series production vehicles of the Österreichische Post were equipped with optimized fine dust filters in the front module. The two eSprinter have been on the road in Graz city center since August 2022. They complete their routes in weekly rotation in order to determine representative values for the fine dust concentration via the installed fine dust sensors.

The project is supported by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Technology (IUTA) in Duisburg. The filters are regularly checked on site by Mercedes-Benz Vans and the filtration specialist MANN+HUMMEL.

Since November 2021, the Österreichische Post fleet in Graz has been exclusively using purely electric vehicles for the delivery of parcels, letters, advertising mail and print media, so these are locally emission-free. The pilot project is intended to show how these successes can be further optimized. By 2030, the Österreichische Post plans to deliver all-electric deliveries throughout the country.

The technology for this pilot project comes from the development of the Mercedes-Benz Vans technology carrier SUSTAINEER. (Earlier post.) The SUSTAINEER shows how the electrified commercial transport sector can contribute to liveable cities and resource conservation.

The technology carrier presented at the end of 2021 is equipped with two particulate filters to reduce fine dust emissions from tire, brake and asphalt abrasion. The modern filter technology was developed in cooperation with the filtration specialist MANN+HUMMEL and reduces fine dust emissions in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle down to a particle size of ten micrometers (PM₁₀) by more than 50%—35% during charging and 15% during driving.

The effectiveness of filtration increases further with higher levels of particulate matter in the environment. This means that in urban areas with poorer air quality, far greater quantities of particulate matter can be filtered out.

In the pilot project with the Österreichische Post, the filter integrated in the front module of the SUSTAINEER is currently being tested. It filters fine dust out of the air in combination with the suction fan already in the vehicle. In this way, it not only improves the air quality by means of the airstream. It filters fine dust out of the ambient air even at low driving speeds and during the charging process.

In addition, the vehicle is fitted with a fine particle sensor. This measures the fine dust concentration in the air and can control the filtration performance accordingly. This also allows the vehicle to be used as a mobile monitoring station. The filter elements can easily be removed and replaced during annual servicing.