Amazon has placed its largest-ever order for heavy-duty electric trucks, ordering more than 200 eActros 600 trucks from Mercedes-Benz and another dozen or so heavy-duty vehicles from Volvo Trucks.
The order is part of Amazon’s commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions in its operations by 2040. The heavy-duty electric vehicles will be used for longer routes in the company’s ”middle-mile network” in the United Kingdom and Germany, where they will haul trailers to and from Amazon’s fulfillment centers, sorting centers, and delivery stations. Together, the vehicles are expected to transport more than 350 million packages each year without emitting any exhaust fumes.
Installing charging stations
Since the charging infrastructure for heavy-duty vehicles is insufficiently developed in many areas, Amazon plans to work with partners to install 360-kW electric charging stations at suitable locations where the batteries in the 40-metric-ton trucks can be charged from 20 to 80 percent in just over an hour. This order is part of an investment of approximately 4 billion kronor in green transportation in the United Kingdom. Amazon’s overall electrification of its vehicle fleet is partially funded by the U.S. government’s zero-emission truck program.
– This order for more than 200 electric trucks underscores our commitment to being a leader in the electrification of heavy-duty freight transport in Europe. This is Amazon’s largest order of electric heavy-duty trucks to date and represents an important step as we work to fulfill our climate pledge to achieve net-zero carbon emissions in our operations by 2040,” says Andreas Marschner, Vice President of Sustainability for Amazon Worldwide Operations.
Rapid Electrification
Amazon has previously invested in about 40 eHGV trucks in Europe, and, together with its delivery partners, it has over 3,000 electric vehicles delivering packages to customers across Europe—a number expected to exceed 10,000 by the end of 2025. The company has also doubled the number of major European cities with so-called micromobility hubs—from 22 to 45—which enable millions of deliveries to be made on foot or by electric cargo bikes.
