Amazon touts €1bn investment in EVs in Europe

In a statement, Amazon claimed that it already utilises “hundreds” of zero-emission cars in Europe for both delivery and serving its network of warehouses. The new investment should allow for the deployment of “thousands more,” the statement further reveals.

Presently, the company’s electric fleet is made up mostly of 3,000 vans, the bulk of which are electric and are used for package delivery in Europe. By 2025, it intends to run over 10,000 vehicles.

Amazon will expand its micromobility offerings in cities in addition to investing in vans. The company runs delivery stations with last-mile delivery options like e-cargo bikes and on-foot deliveries in 20 locations throughout Europe, with London currently being its only UK presence. By 2025, funding will be utilised to establish 20 more micromobility “hubs” and increase the number of e-cargo bikes available at existing locations.

This summer saw the opening of the Shoreditch hub in London, which was chosen by Amazon as the location for its first UK micromobility hub because of the city’s 2030 net-zero target and its Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ).

The expansion of Amazon’s fleet of electric heavy freight vehicles will be the other focus of its investment package (eHGVs). The company already runs five eHGVs in the UK, and by the end of 2022, it plans to have 20 running in Germany. eHGVs are still relatively new in terms of commercial news. Amazon anticipates using the investment made today (10 October) to buy and launch at least 700 eHGVs in the UK and at least another 800 in other European markets.

“Our transportation network is one of the most challenging areas of our business to decarbonize, and to achieve net-zero carbon will require a substantial and sustained investment,” noted Amazon’s chief executive Andy Jassy. Amazon is making an effort towards the actualization of its 2040 net-zero target known as the ‘Climate Pledge’.

“Deploying thousands of electric vans, long-haul trucks, and bikes will help us shift further away from traditional fossil fuels—and hopefully, further encourage transportation and automotive industries in Europe and around the world to continue scaling and innovating, as we will have to work together to reach our climate goals,” Jassy said.

It is important to note that Amazon is still under pressure to make its 2040 climate objective and supporting pledges stronger.