80 Mercedes-Benz vehicles, among them the 208, were involved in large-scale testing which took place as part of the "Alternative drive systems" project initiated by the German Ministry for Research and Technology.

Tests were carried out with the alcohol-based fuel M 15, a mixture of 85% four-star petrol and 15% methanol. The testing was evidence of Daimler-Benz AG’s activities in the area of alcohol-based fuels.

There were two predominant areas of focus in the development of the Mercedes-Benz 307 E. Firstly, the load area of the electro van, which had to be equal to that of the series produced model; and secondly, the control engineering, which was simplified for the electric drive system.

The energy reservoir was arranged in two units, each of 90 volts, under the floor section. This allowed the batteries to be easily removed through the bottom of the vehicle. The results of this large-scale testing showed that, from a technical and economical perspective, the 307 E handled road traffic conditions without any problems.