Amazon Hits Another Electric Delivery Vehicle Milestone
Amazon has tripled the number of custom electric delivery vehicles from automaker and automotive technology company Rivian since November, with more than 3,000 now on the road across the United States. The e-tailer has been recognized by the Biden-Harris administration as part of its new private and public sector investments for affordable electric vehicles.
Just four months ago, Amazon had about 1,000 of these vehicles making deliveries across 100 U.S. cities. The Rivian trucks are now delivering packages in more than 500 cities and regions across the country, and Amazon has delivered over 75 million packages with the zero-emission vehicles since they rolled out last summer. Customers will soon see the vehicles across seven additional cities from Ohio to California.
The trucks feature a spate of industry-leading safety, navigation and design features, including 360-degree visibility, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and collision warnings. They also have embedded technology that fully integrates the delivery workflow with the vehicle, enabling seamless access to routing, navigation and driver support. Alexa integration also offers hands-free access to route information and weather updates.
“Fleet electrification is essential to reaching the world’s zero-emissions goal,” said Jiten Behl, chief growth officer at Irvine, Calif.-based Rivian, over the holidays. “So, to see our ramp up in production supporting Amazon’s rollout in cities across the country is amazing. Not just for the environment, but also for our teams working hard to get tens of thousands of electric delivery vehicles on the road. They continue to be motivated by our combined mission and the great feedback about the vehicle’s performance and quality.”
The growth of its electric vehicle fleet is part of Amazon’s commitment to reaching net-zero carbon by 2040 and its larger Climate Pledge. According to the company, it will eliminate millions of metric tons of carbon per year when it reaches its goal of having all of its 100,000 electric delivery vehicles on the road by 2030.
In Europe, Amazon plans to invest more than 1 billion euros over the next five years to further electrify and decarbonize its transportation network across the continent, which represents its work to deliver packages to customers more sustainably. Additionally, Amazon signed an agreement with Plug Power to supply nearly 11,000 tons per year of green hydrogen for its transportation and building operations starting in 2025.
Seattle-based Amazon is No. 2 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
