Amazon accelerates green logistics: 1 billion euros for a zero-emission fleet

One billion euros of investment to decarbonise and electrify its transport network in Europe and achieve the ambitious goal of “net zero emissions” in all operations related to logistics and transport by 2025: this is the sustainable challenge that Amazon has been undertaking for some time and which materialised in the official presentation of the new zero-emission range at the Innovation Center in Dortmund, Germany, during the Delivering the Future event on 7 May. The first challenge is the decarbonisation of the “middle mile” for which Amazon recently placed its largest single order of electric trucks, with over 200 new eActros600 vehicles from Mercedes-Benz Trucks, which will join the medium-long haul fleet starting from the end of 2025. The electric trucks will be used on long-haul routes in the United Kingdom and Germany: they will transport trailers to and from Amazon's distribution centres, sorting centres and delivery stations. Amazon will install 360 kW electric charging points at strategic sites, which will be able to charge the batteries of 40-ton trucks from 20 to 80 percent in just over an hour.

Another “hot” topic is the sustainability of last-mile delivery. And on this front, Amazon has been investing budget and effort for a few years now, starting with the partnership with Rivian with which it co-designed the new 100% electric vans that have already been in circulation since 2022 in the United States and since 2023 also in Germany. To date, over 3,500 electric delivery vans are operating in the transport network throughout Europe. In addition, to facilitate deliveries in densely populated urban areas, Amazon has created over 60 micromobility hubs in more than 45 European cities, which enable millions of zero-emission deliveries on foot or via electric cargo bikes. Recent additions include Belfast, Madrid, Florence, Rome and Vienna, which join the hubs in London, Paris, Milan and Munich.

Once fully operational, the zero-emission vehicles are expected to be able to transport more than 350 million packages per year. Amazon has already said today that in 2024, more than 200 million packages will be delivered across Europe using electric and manual vehicles, including electric vans, e-cargo bikes, e-mopeds and manual trolleys.