In a move that will rapidly expand its fleet of zero-emissions vehicles, Amazon has agreed the acquisition of over 1,800 electric vans from Mercedes-Benz Vans in Europe.
As company founder Jeff Bezos highlighted, large scale schemes between manufacturers and organizations such as Amazon will be key to tackling climate change: “We need continued innovation and partnership from auto manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz to decarbonize the transportation sector and tackle the climate crisis. Amazon is adding 1,800 electric delivery vehicles from Mercedes-Benz as part of our journey to build the most sustainable transportation fleet in the world.”
Amazon’s delivery service partners will have access to the new fleet of zero-emissions vehicles to make deliveries to customers in Europe from this year, greatly reducing its carbon output. Meanwhile, the deal is a milestone for Mercedes-Benz Vans, marking the largest order of electric vehicles for the manufacturer to date, and making Amazon its largest sustainable transportation partner worldwide.
More than 1,200 EVs in the order will be the newest electric commercial van available from Mercedes-Benz – the eSprinter. This is a larger model than the manufacturer’s first zero-emissions vehicle, the mid-size eVito, which will make up the remaining 600 vehicles of the order to provide flexibility to delivery partners requiring smaller format vehicles due to access issues.
“I am delighted that we are further intensifying our long-standing partnership with Amazon and working together on the battery-electric future of transportation,” noted Marcus Breitschwerdt, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans.
“With the eVito and the eSprinter, we have electric vehicles in our portfolio, which are ideally suited for the requirements of the courier-, express- and parcel-service industry for goods delivery on the so-called ‘last mile’ in terms of their equipment and range. They show that local emission-free driving, convincing performance, comfort and low operating costs can be combined perfectly.”