Amazon To Double Its Zero-emission Fleet in €1 Billion Investment

Online delivery firm Amazon is making a massive €1bn investment in decarbonizing its fleet over the next five years. The company plans to bring in 10,000 electric delivery vans and 1,500 electric heavy goods vehicles by 2027.

The fleet decarbonization program starts with the introduction of 20 fully electric heavy goods vehicles (eHGVs) by year end in Germany.

These are the first eHGVs Amazon will use in Germany. They will be powered-up by 360-kW electric charging points, capable of charging the 40-ton trucks in under two hours. Amazon says it has 10 fast chargers across the country.

The electric trucks are part of a growing fleet of zero-emission vehicles deployed by Amazon in Germany, which includes more that 1,200 electric delivery vans. The business said it delivered more than 40 million packages to customers by using zero-emission electric vans and e-cargo bikes last year.

The company already has five eHGVs on the road in the U.K. The DAF CF Electric HGVS 360-kW operate from Amazon’s Tilbury and Milton Keynes sites where they are powered by 350-kW fast charging points.

The growing fleet of eHGVs adds to the 3,000 electric vans already in operation across Europe, which is expected to grow to 10,000 by 2025.

Amazon says it will also invest further to double the number of micro mobility hubs by 2025 currently situated in 20 European urban areas. These feature more sustainable delivery options such as e-cargo bikes and on-foot deliveries.

The eHGVs and micro mobility hubs are part of Amazon’s work-in-progress towards becoming net-zero by 2040, 10 years in advance of the Paris Agreement.

Andy Jassy, Amazon CEO, commented:

“Our transportation network is one of the most challenging areas of our business to decarbonise, and to achieve net-zero carbon will require a substantial and sustained investment.

“Deploying thousands of electric vans, long-haul trucks, and bikes will help us shift further away from traditional fossil fuels—and hopefully, further encourage transportation and automotive industries in Europe and around the world to continue scaling and innovating, as we will have to work together to reach our climate goals.”