Amazon to operate over 300 new EVs in Europe under zero carbon plan

05 / 07 / 2023

By Marwa Nassar - -

Amazon will roll out more than 300 new electric vans (EVs) in Europe in the coming weeks within the framework of its commitment to create a more sustainable delivery fleet, and reach net-zero carbon by 2040.

Customers in the Munich, Berlin, and Dusseldorf regions will see the custom electric delivery vans from Rivian on the road, joining a fleet of thousands of electric vans already in Europe, including more than 1,000 electric vans in Germany. Amazon announced last year that it plans to invest more than €1 billion to electrify its European transportation network and reduce carbon emissions over the coming years.

“Amazon is committed to reaching net-zero carbon by 2040, and reducing our delivery-related emissions is a critical part of this goal,” said Rocco Bräuniger, Country Manager for Amazon.de. “Last year we delivered more than 45 million packages in Germany with electric vans and e-cargo bikes, and these new additions from Rivian will help us deliver packages more sustainably and to more customers.”

Amazon began rolling out its custom electric delivery vans from Rivian in the US last summer and already has more than 3,000 vans delivering packages in over 500 US cities and regions. Amazon aims to have 100,000 electric delivery vehicles from Rivian on the road globally by 2030, helping to save millions of metric tons of carbon per year.

The custom electric delivery vans from Rivian are designed from the ground-up with safety, sustainability, and comfort in mind, and have been thoroughly tested by drivers in Germany. They are the product of Amazon’s partnership with Rivian, which the companies announced in 2019 when Amazon co-founded, and became the first signatory of The Climate Pledge—a commitment to reach net-zero carbon across our operations by 2040.

“Together, Amazon and Rivian designed and built a state-of-the-art electric vehicle from the ground up, and unlike anything else on the road today,” said Neil Emery, Amazon, Director, Global Fleet & Product. “The safety and comfort of our drivers were top of mind for us throughout this process, and we’ve raised the bar on both with the vehicle we are rolling out in Europe today.”

Amazon has been testing deliveries with Rivian preproduction vehicles in Europe since last year. This testing has allowed Rivian to continuously improve the vehicle’s performance, safety and durability in various climates and geographies as well as its state-of-the-art features to ensure driver satisfaction, and overall functionality. In Europe, Amazon and Rivian specially designed a shorter, thinner van than its US counterpart in order to better fit in Europe’s cities.”

In 2022, Amazon used zero-emission vehicles, including electric vans and micro-mobility solutions like e-cargo bikes, e-scooters, and walkers, to deliver more than 120 million packages to customers in Europe. The new vans from Rivian, along with the expansion of micro-mobility hubs across European cities, will help Amazon deliver even more packages in zero-emission vehicles.