Amazon announced on Wednesday that it aims to invest over 1 billion euros to more than double the size of its electrical van fleet in Europe over the next five years. However, increasing the number of electric vans is only one aspect of Amazon‘s planned investment in Europe.
As it transitions away from using diesel trucks for long-distance transportation and deliveries, it seeks to buy and deploy more than 1,500 electric heavy goods vehicles in the upcoming years.
Amazon’s drive for eco-friendly transportation has been spearheaded by its European divisions. According to Supply Chain Dive, the online store now has five electric heavy goods vehicles on the road in the UK. By the end of this year, it will have 20 such vehicles operating in Germany.
Furthermore, the company also looks to offer charging solutions for its current electric delivery vehicles. According to the company’s announcement, “To power its eHGVs, Amazon will build hundreds of specialized fast chargers across its European facilities, allowing the company to charge the vehicles in approximately two hours.”
Even more, Amazon also plans to double the number of its “micro-mobility hubs” by 2025. Remarkably, Amazon is able to remove delivery vans from the road in congested city centers thanks to these centrally located hubs.
They are swapped out for alternative delivery approaches like on-foot deliveries and e-cargo bikes. The company currently operates micro-mobility centers in over 20 European cities, including Paris, Munich, and London.
Amazon’s sustainability report shows that over 100 million parcels were delivered to European customers last year using electric delivery vans and other zero-emission vehicles.
On the other hand, over 500,000 parcels were delivered in North America using electric vehicles. However, that number should increase as the company expands its use of Rivian EVs in the US over the following seven years.
“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,” Jassy said.
Amazon is undoubtedly a leading company when it comes to e-shopping. That said, the primary method for customers to receive their parcels has been door-to-door deliveries using automobiles. Having switched to green mobility is an excellent way for the company to reduce carbon emissions and set a positive example among its competitors.
