Mercedes-Benz Vans
Redefining Cargo Delivery.

Exploring the Future of Goods Movement and the Growth of a Design Thinking Culture

This collaboration explored the future of goods transportation through design thinking and rapid prototyping, helping shape the Mercedes-Benz adVANce initiative and lay the foundation for their Silicon Valley innovation lab.

By prototyping concepts like one-shot loading, driver prompting systems, and smart bins, the team validated key ideas early and influenced the final Van of the Future concept. Low- to mid-fidelity experience prototypes helped align cross-functional stakeholders, expedite decision-making, and demonstrate the feasibility of the idea. The Mercedes-Benz Vans group ultimately implemented these concepts as a high-fidelity concept demonstrator. Integrated warehouse loading systems were also explored to streamline logistics. These systems enabled deliveries to be staged while vehicles were en route, thereby reducing idle time and enhancing delivery efficiency. Tailored loading solutions were developed for the Sprinter and Metris vans, supporting flexible last-mile delivery scenarios and future partnership opportunities.

Impact

A central goal was to build prototyping fluency within the Mercedes-Benz Vans team. A year later, the impact was clear: a culture of experimentation and agile development had taken root at their new research lab in Silicon Valley.

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“I cannot stress enough the fact that we learned a lot of methodology and cultural aspects through the fruitful and enjoyable cooperation with you and your team. You helped us lay the foundations for what we have achieved so far. Thank you very much again for that support. ”
— Stefan Maurer, Head of Strategy

Related Services

Interaction Design,Purposeful Strategy

Role

Interaction Design Director, Client Relationship Lead

Futuristic delivery van with automated storage system.

Mercedes-Benz Vans ultimately produced a highly detailed, functional model of the cargo handling concept developed during the project, bringing the envisioned solution to life and demonstrating its real-world feasibility.

One of the final concepts is known as “Slider.” This brief video highlights the key features and functionality of the design, which emerged through an iterative prototyping process focused on efficiency, automation, and ease of use.

This video captures the spirit of hands-on hardware and software prototyping embodied in the Mercedes-Benz Vans Silicon Valley Lab, where ideas were quickly brought to life through iterative design, testing, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Illustration showing a person loading supplies onto a platform with a large container in the background and an inset diagram labeled "Load Module A."
Sketch of a person moving a portable shelving unit filled with various bottles and containers, attached to a vehicle.
Illustration of an organized shelf with labeled boxes
Sketch of a delivery driver unloading a van with shelves containing bags and packages, accompanied by a digital interface showing delivery details such as refrigerated and heavy items for Door 3, and recipient address in Palo Alto.

Early design concepts explored a diverse range of ideas involving purpose-built vehicles, modular loading racks, and intelligent object tracking software—laying the foundation for an integrated cargo handling system.

Two men standing in a workshop with a sliding wooden storage unit installed in a van.
Woman organizing items on shelves and wooden racks inside a vehicle, viewed from the back. Shelves contain various packaged goods like diapers and bottled water. Background includes stairs and overhead lighting.
A futuristic delivery vehicle with an automated vending compartment displayed at a tech exhibition.
Van with open rear displaying shelving and boxes indoors

From early concept sketches to rough prototypes the team shaped each aspect of the cargo Van of the Future vision including one-shot loading, driver prompting systems, and smart bins.

AdVANce videos and images: Mercedes Benz Vans

Group of people working at a hackathon event in a tech lab, with a whiteboard and a van in the background, engaging in discussions and using laptops.
Three smartwatches displaying a courier package scanning app. The first shows "Item location" with an image of Charmin toilet paper and "Gonzalez 0/3". The second shows "Item taken out of Ferris Wheel A" with a checkmark. The third shows "Courier on-
A digital display screen showing a GPS interface with street view and a map. The screen is branded with a Mercedes logo. On the left, a street address and code are shown, with a street view image of a building. The right side displays a map with a re
Image showing a courier's GPS device with a map for navigation and a smartphone displaying an SMS notification about delivery time. Includes text about ETA notification and ensuring successful deliveries by confirming a customer's availability via te
Three smartwatches displaying delivery process steps: item image, item scanned, and all items in van.
Two smartwatches displaying courier route overview lists with names and numbers.
Illustration of warehouse integration concepts including in-hub module loading with delivery vans, digital scalability with a barcode scanner, and packaging scalability with a person using a hand truck. Each section includes text explaining the benef
Illustration depicting digital flexibility solutions featuring e-ink displays, RFID reading, and a mobile application for courier services. The e-ink displays are used on storage modules for efficient loading. RFID reading eliminates barcode scanning
Diagram of cargo modularity in a van showing three sections: storage modules, customizable shelving, and cooling systems. Includes text descriptions and illustrations of each feature.