According to foreign media reports, Amazon announced on October 10 that it will invest more than 1 billion euros (about 974.8 million US dollars) in the next five years to build electric vans and trucks across Europe. , thereby accelerating the achievement of its net-zero carbon emissions target.
Another goal of the investment, Amazon said, is to spur innovation across the transportation industry and provide more public charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. The U.S. online retail giant said the investment will increase the number of electric vans it has in Europe to more than 10,000 by 2025, up from the current 3,000.
Amazon doesn’t disclose the current share of electric delivery vehicles in its entire European fleet, but the company says the 3,000 zero-emission vans will deliver more than 100 million packages in 2021. In addition, Amazon said it plans to procure more than 1,500 electric heavy-duty trucks over the next few years to deliver goods to its package centers.
Image credit: Amazon
Although several large logistics companies (such as UPS and FedEx) have pledged to purchase large quantities of zero-emission electric vans and buses, there are not many zero-emission vehicles available on the market.
Several startups are working to bring their own electric vans or trucks to market, though they also face competition from traditional automakers such as GM and Ford, which have also embarked on their own electrification efforts.
Amazon’s order for 100,000 electric vans from Rivian, which is expected to be delivered by 2025, is Amazon’s largest order for zero-emission vehicles. In addition to buying electric vehicles, it will invest in building thousands of charging points at facilities across Europe, the company said.
Amazon also said it would invest in expanding the reach of its European network of “micro-mobility” centers, doubling from the current 20-plus cities. Amazon uses these centralized hubs to enable new delivery methods, such as electric cargo bikes or walking deliveries, that reduce emissions.
Post time: Oct-10-2022