Amazon is adding more than 1,800 electric vehicles (EVs) from Mercedes-Benz Vans to its delivery fleet in Europe this year.
Amazon and Mercedes-Benz share a commitment to reduce emissions from the transportation sector, and Mercedes-Benz also announced it has joined The Climate Pledge, which calls on signatories to be net zero carbon across their businesses by 2040.
“We need continued innovation and partnership from auto manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz to decarbonize the transportation sector and tackle the climate crisis,” Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO, said.
Bezos said the purchase of the Mercedes-Benz electric delivery vehicles is part of Amazon’s “journey to build the most sustainable transportation fleet in the world and we will be moving fast to get these vans on the road this year.”
Amazon’s Delivery Service partners will have access to the new fleet of zero-emission vehicles to make deliveries to customers in Europe this year, helping to save thousands of metric tons of carbon. The order is a milestone for Mercedes-Benz Vans, marking the largest order of electric vehicles for the manufacturer to date and making Amazon its largest sustainable transportation partner worldwide.
More than 1,200 EVs in the order will be comprised of the newest electric commercial van available at Mercedes-Benz–the eSprinter, a larger model than the manufacturer’s first zero-emission vehicle, the eVito. The eSprinter includes state-of-the-art safety features such as an electrical parking brake, active brake assist, reverse camera and blind spot assist. The remaining 600 vehicles will be comprised of the manufacturer’s midsize electric van, the eVito, to give Delivery Service partners operating in geographies that require a smaller-format vehicle access to a zero-emissions delivery option.
“With the eVito and the eSprinter, we have electric vehicles in our portfolio which are ideally suited for the requirements of the courier, express and parcel-service industry for goods delivery on the so-called last mile in terms of their equipment and range,” Marcus Breitschwerdt, head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, said. “They show that local emission-free driving, convincing performance, comfort and low operating costs can be combined perfectly.”
Related Stories
Amazon is also committed to powering its growing electric fleet with clean energy. As part of The Climate Pledge, Amazon is investing in renewable energy as a critical step toward addressing its carbon footprint globally and has committed to run on 100 percent renewable energy by 2025.
Cityfreighter Inc. and AB-Joost signed a development agreement this week to build Cityfreighter’s beta version of the CF1 electric class 3 truck at AB Joost’s production facility in Belgium. The CF1 electric truck is aimed at last-mile logistics, with a special modular concept featuring a low floor with easy driver access that the companies said will significantly decrease development costs and time to market.
Last month, Amazon said it was upgrading its fleet of delivery trucks to meet the online demands driven by the Covid-19 pandemic. The e-commerce giant ordered more than 2,200 heavy-duty Utilimaster “walk-in” delivery trucks from Shyft Group, a Michigan-based specialty vehicle company.