Toni Dimaano Tech 10.10.2022 23:Oct PM EDT

Amazon Plans to Electrify Its Delivery Fleet in Europe

The online retail giant is investing a billion dollars on electric delivery vans in Europe to double their coverage while minimizing carbon footprints.

The Verge reports that Amazon will increase the number of their electric vans to 10,000 and their electric heavy goods vehicles to 1,500 in the next 3 years.

Clean Zero-Emission Vans Will Be Used To Cover The Distance

According to The Driven, Amazon has unveiled its $1 billion dollar spending plan on zero-emission delivery vehicles for their European fleet.

These vehicles will be distributed to Amazon's low-emission packing hubs, and will be used for localized distributions for last-mile locations all across the continent.

The company is also looking into growing its micro mobility by offering delivery stations in 20 more cities with e-cargo bikes and on-foot deliveries, according to Edie.

"To achieve net-zero carbon will require a substantial and sustained investment," Andy Jassy, Amazon CEO said in a statement regarding the decarbonization challenge to the business.

Jassy added that the deployment of these electric vehicles is a shift from traditional fuels, and an encouragement for other industries to scale and innovate to reach their climate goals.

The Verge writes that this announcement by the multimillion company comes after last year's inflation in carbon output despite claiming to be a leader in climate action.

Amazon reportedly had an increase in their carbon emission by 18% in 2021 as compared to the previous year, which urged them to operate on more electricity-powered vehicles.

As part of this rollout, electric vehicle charging stations will also be available for the zero-emission vehicles across Europe as part of the investment, The Driven says.

Amazon Plans With Automotive Makers For This Investment

ABC News reports that the retailer has already ordered around 100,000 electric vehicles from its partner Rivian Automotive, who recently just issued a recall on their cars due to loose fasteners.

However, Rivian announced last month that the company signed a memorandum of agreement with Mercedes on the possibility of producing electric vans in Europe together, KESQ writes.

In the US, Amazon has begun to deploy their new electric vans, and has also made a deal to buy electric vehicles from Stellantis.

Larger trucks are also part of Amazon's investment plan, and they are looking into heavy-duty electric trucks from Tesla, which is also the truck used by PepsiCo in the US.

CNet writes that Amazon began deploying their electric vans in the US in July in cities like San Diego, Phoenix, Dallas, Nashville, and Chicago, delivering to more than 100 US cities in 2022.

Silicon Angle details that Amazon is also investing into projects like sustainable wind farms, solar farms, and rooftop solar panels for their company.

Amazon, according to CNet, has committed to reduce net carbon emissions to zero with companies like Proctor & Gamble, Unilever, Uber, Best Buy, and Philips as part of the Climate Pledge.

The calls to go carbon neutral follows the scientists' plea to stop burning fossil fuels to stop the catastrophic rise in temperature, increasing the risk of drought, floods, storms, and wildfires.