Amazon orders 1,800 Mercedes-Benz electric vans for its European delivery fleet

The American multinational company, Amazon, on August 28, reportedly announced that it had ordered 1,800 electric vans from Mercedes-Benz for its European delivery fleet. The order, which is a part of Amazon’s plan to run a carbon-neutral business by 2040, is reportedly the largest one for Mercedes Benz’s electric vehicles to date. According to international media reports, the online retailer’s order includes 800 vans for Germany and 500 for the United Kingdom. 

Amazon.com Inc reportedly said that a majority of the electric vehicles from Daimler AG’s car and vans division will go into service this year. The company added that it had ordered 1,200 of Mercedes-Benz’s larger eSprinter models and 600 of the midsize eVitos. 

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Amazon’s recent collaboration with Mercedes-Benz comes after the company had ordered for another 100,000 electric delivery vans form Rivian Automotive LLC, which is a startup it has invested in. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos reportedly said that the agreement with Mercedes was a part of the retailer’s journey to build the most sustainable transportation fleet in the world. 

Bezos said, “We need continued innovation and partnership from auto manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz to decarbonize the transportation sector and tackle the climate crisis”. 

He added, “The addition of 1,800 electric delivery vehicles is another step in our journey to building the most sustainable transportation fleet in the world, and we will be moving fast to get these vans on the road this year”. 

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Mercedes-Benz joins The Climate Pledge 

As per reports, Mercedes-Benz recently joined The Climate Pledge, which was started by Amazon last year. The pledge calls on signatories to be net-zero carbon across their businesses by 2040. Daimler AG had previously said it was aiming to have a carbon-neutral fleet by 2039. 

While speaking to an international media outlet, Ross Rachey, who is Amazon’s director of the global fleet and products for last-mile delivery, said that moving forward, the company aims to prioritise the addition of electric vehicles. Back in 2018, Amazon reportedly also became the biggest customer of Mercedes’ non-electric Sprinter Vans, securing 20,000 vehicles for delivery contractors. 

(With AP inputs) 

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