Amazon today announced plans to invest more than €1 billion over the next five years to further electrify and decarbonize its transportation network across Europe, and deliver packages to customers more sustainably. The investment also aims to drive innovation across the industry and encourage more public charging infrastructure, which will help enable the wider transport industry to reduce emissions more quickly.
The company already uses thousands of zero-emission vehicles across its European operations, and this investment will add thousands more, accelerating Amazon’s progress towards becoming net zero carbon by 2040 – 10 years before the Paris Agreement.
“Our transportation network is one of the most challenging areas of our business to decarbonize, and achieving net zero carbon will require significant, sustainable investment,” said Andy Jassy, Amazon CEO. “Deploying thousands of electric vans, long-haul trucks and bikes will help us transition away from traditional fossil fuels – and we hope this will encourage the transport and automotive industries in Europe and around the world to continue to expand and innovate, as we will have to work together to achieve our climate goals.”
The investment brings more electric delivery vans, e-cargo bikes and walking deliveries to cities across Europe
Amazon has more than 3,000 electric vans delivering packages to customers across Europe, and with the investment announced today, it expects to increase its fleet to more than 10,000 by 2025.
Amazon has launched micro-mobility hubs in more than 20 cities across Europe, including London, Munich and Paris, and expects to double that number by the end of 2025.. Micromobility centers are smaller, centrally located delivery stations. In traditionally dense European cities, the centers enable Amazon to operate new delivery methods, such as e-bikes and foot deliveries, to get packages to customers more sustainably. Micromobility hubs take traditional delivery trucks off the road, relieving traffic congestion in city centers and improving air quality.
In addition to these new vans, micro-mobility hubs and vehicles, Amazon will also invest in thousands of chargers across its European facilities. This investment will allow the company and its partners to improve fleet chargers.
Amazon is expanding its fleet of electric heavy goods vehicles and expanding critical infrastructure to decarbonize long-haul trucking
Long-haul transportation is a difficult sector to decarbonize due to the size and weight of trucks and trailers, and the long distances they need to travel. Electric heavy goods vehicles (eHGVs) are a promising technology, but their production and availability of charging infrastructure is limited. Amazon today has five eHGVs on the road in the UK, and will have 20 on the road in Germany by the end of this year.
Amazon is using its size and scale to help spur the expansion of electric heavy-duty vehicle (eHGV) production so Amazon and others can more quickly transition away from diesel trucks. With the investment announced today, Amazon expects to purchase and deploy more than 1,500 high-speed electric vehicles in its European fleet in the coming years.
To power its ultra-fast electric vehicles, Amazon will build hundreds of specialized fast chargers across its European facilities, allowing the company to charge vehicles in about two hours.
Amazon exceeds 100 renewable energy projects in Europe
Amazon is on track to power its operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025, and in 2021, the company’s share reached 85%. This applies to all Amazon operations such as data centers, logistics facilities, physical stores and corporate offices, including on-site charging points. Amazon now has more than 100 renewable energy projects across Europe.
