Amazon orders 1800 Mercedes-Benz e-vans

Amazon is adding more than 1800 EVs from Mercedes-Benz Vans to its delivery fleet in Europe this year.

The order is Mercedes-Benz Vans’ largest EV deal to date and will see more than 1200 eSprinter and 600 midsize eVito electric vans deployed as delivery vehicles by Amazon.

It follows Amazon ordering 100,000 e-vans from US start-up Rivian

earlier this year, the first due to be delivered in 2021 with the full order spread through to 2030.

Amazon and Mercedes-Benz also share a commitment to reduce emissions from the transportation sector, Mercedes-Benz just joining The Climate Pledge, which calls on signatories to be net zero carbon across their businesses by 2040 – a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement goal of 2050.

“Amazon is adding 1800 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,” founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos says.

Mercedes-Benz is doubling down on its commitment to “Ambition2039,” a roadmap to CO2-neutral mobility and is evaluating ways to remove carbon from its entire value chain, as well as ensuring renewable energies for EVs, Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG management board chairman Ola Källenius says.

It aims to have a CO2-neutral fleet of new cars in less than 20 years.

By the end of this year, the vehicle portfolio will comprise five fully electric models and more than 20 plug-in hybrids.

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 save thousands of tonnes of carbon.

“I am delighted that we are further intensifying our long-standing partnership with Amazon and working together on the battery-electric future of transportation,” Mercedes-Benz Vans head Marcus Breitschwerdt says.

“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.”

European Parliament vice president Fabio Massimo Castaldo hopes other corporations will follow Amazon’s example.

Amazon is also committed to powering its growing electric fleet with clean energy by 2025.

Globally, Amazon has 91 renewable energy projects that can generate more than 2900MW and deliver about 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 centres (third-party warehouses) and sort centres around the globe.