Amazon introduces 1,800 electric vehicles to its delivery service

Amazon has announced it is introducing 1,800 electric vehicles from Mercedes-Benz Vans to its delivery service in Europe.

Mercedez will be producing the eSprinter and the eVito models for Amazon which will save thousands of metric tonnes of carbon dioxide, the company said. The electric vehicles will be ready to deliver goods to consumers in 2020.

It comes as Mercedes-Benz joins The Climate Pledge, founded by Amazon and Global Optimism, which aims for its signatories to be net zero carbon across their businesses by 2040. This is a decade earlier than the goals of the Paris Agreement goal of 2050.

Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO, said in a statement: “We welcome the bold leadership demonstrated by Mercedes-Benz by signing up to The Climate Pledge and committing to ambitious action to address climate change. We need continued innovation and partnership from auto manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz to decarbonise the transportation sector and tackle the climate crisis.”

As part of The Climate Pledge, Amazon has pledged to run on 100 percent renewable energy by 2025.

Marcus Breitschwerdt, head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, continued: “I am delighted that we are further intensifying our long-standing partnership with Amazon and working together on the battery-electric future of transportation.

“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.”

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