Amazon in big buy of Mercedes-Benz electric delivery vans
Amazon’s European delivery fleet will have reduced emissions and increased style.
The e-tail giant has ordered more than 1,800 electric vehicles from Mercedes-Benz Vans to add to its delivery fleet in Europe by the end of 2020. This agreement follows Amazon’s September 2019 order of 100,000 electric delivery vehicles from sustainable vehicle manufacturer Rivian for U.S. operations.
Mercedes-Benz is also joining The Climate Pledge, which calls on new signatories to be net zero carbon across their businesses by 2040—a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement goal of 2050. Amazon partnered with social/environmental change group Global Optimism to launch the Climate Pledge in 2019.
Amazon's third-party contract drivers will have access to the new fleet of zero-emission vehicles to make deliveries to customers in Europe this year. The order marks the largest order of electric vehicles for the manufacturer to date, and makes Amazon its largest sustainable transportation partner worldwide.
More than 1,200 electric vehicles in the order will be comprised of the newest electric commercial van available at Mercedes-Benz—the eSprinter, which includes safety features such as an electrical parking brake, active brake, reverse camera, and blind spot assist. The remaining 600 vehicles will be comprised of the manufacturer’s midsize electric van, the eVito, to give drivers operating in geographies that require a smaller-format vehicle access to a zero-emissions delivery option.
"We welcome the bold leadership demonstrated by Mercedes-Benz by signing up to The Climate Pledge and committing to ambitious action to address climate change,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO. “We need continued innovation and partnership from auto manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz to decarbonize the transportation sector and tackle the climate crisis. Amazon is adding 1,800 electric delivery vehicles from Mercedes-Benz as part of our 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."
"At Mercedes-Benz, we have set ourselves the ambitious target to make the transformation of mobility a success story,” said Ola Källenius, chairman of the board of management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG. “By joining 'The Climate Pledge' we are building on our goal to consistently pursue emission-free mobility and sustainable vehicle production."
As part of The Climate Pledge, Amazon is investing in renewable energy as a step toward addressing its carbon footprint globally and has pledged to run on 100% renewable energy by 2025. Globally, Amazon has 91 renewable energy projects that have the capacity to generate over 2,900 MW and deliver more than 7.5 million MWh of energy annually. These projects include 31 utility-scale wind and solar renewable energy projects and 60 solar rooftops on fulfillment centers and sort centers around the globe.