Amazon aims to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2040 as part of its Climate Pledge, which is a highly ambitious plan. In September 2019, the company placed an order of 100,000 electric delivery vehicles from the American startup Rivian to help fulfill this goal. The deliveries are expected to be completed by 2030.
Electrifying its fleet
Amazon already has over 3,000 Rivian electric delivery vehicles, specifically the EDV 500 and EDV 700 models, operating in the United States. Now, the “smaller” EDV 500 model is making its way to Europe, starting with Germany (Munich, Berlin, and Düsseldorf). According to a press release, over 300 vehicles will be deployed in the coming weeks.
The European version of Rivian’s EDV 500 has a slightly different design, being slightly shorter and narrower than its American counterpart. It will complement Amazon’s existing electric vehicle fleet in the German market, which already consists of over 1,000 electric delivery vehicles from other brands besides Rivian. Amazon is actively electrifying its fleet and striving to uphold its commitment.
Photo by Amazon Delivery
Rivian has proven itself in testing
Amazon delivered over 45 million packages in Germany last year using electric delivery vehicles and e-bikes.
Now, the company has announced that new European delivery vehicles from Rivian will help them deliver even more packages sustainably.
Amazon states that preliminary versions of the new European Electric Delivery Vehicles (EDVs) have been thoroughly tested by its drivers in Germany since last year. This allowed Rivian to optimize the performance, safety, and durability of the vehicles in various weather and geographical conditions.
The EDV features have also been enhanced to ensure driver satisfaction and overall vehicle functionality. The European version of the Rivian EDV 500 is equipped with collision warning, adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, automatic door locking, specialized software package, and other features.
Leave a Reply