Amazon “puts in” €1 billion for electric van fleet in Europe  

Huge investment from the colossus

Amazon has announced that it will invest more than €1 billion to build a fleet of electric vans in Europe over the next five years, with the aim of achieving zero carbon footprint. Investments will also cover innovations in the transport industry, encouraging the creation of public charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

The company wants to triple its fleet of electric vehicles in Europe by 2025, from the current 3,000 to more than 10,000. It did not specify what percentage of its European fleet is electric today, but said those 3,000 electric vehicles delivered more than 100 million packages in 2021.

It also hopes to buy more than 1,500 electric trucks, which will be used to transport products to the sorting centers.

One obstacle to this effort is the low production of electric trucks which is not enough to meet the demand. A large number of startup companies have been formed to bring electric vans and trucks to market, with General Motors and Ford Motor as their main competitors.

Amazon’s largest order for 100,000 electric vans was made to Rivian Automotive with a delivery date of 2025. In addition to the vehicles, Amazon will also invest in thousands of chargers at its facilities across Europe. The company aims to reach zero carbon balance by 2040.