Amazon reveals over €1B investment for electrification of its fleet in Europe

Amazon Inc. announced on Monday, Oct. 10, that it would be investing more than €1 billion for the expansion and electrification of its delivery vans and trucks in Europe. The new funding will also be used to improve infrastructure as it operates its business in the country.

CNN Business mentioned that the latest investment will bring Amazon’s transportation fleet in Europe to at least 10,000 electric vehicle units by the year 2025. Currently, the company has 3,000 EVs and more than 1,500 long-haul electric trucks.

The move was revealed to be part of the company’s plan to reduce its carbon emissions and target a net zero result by 2040. Moreover, the American e-commerce firm is also expecting to increase the number of its package deliveries using e-bikes as well as on foot through the centrally-located delivery stations, which it calls the “micro-mobility hubs.”

Amazon shared that it has already set up this type of hub in 20 major locations in the European region, including Paris, London, and Munich. In any case, the company believes that its new investment will certainly help push innovation across the e-commerce business industry while also encouraging more public charging infrastructure at the same time. It said that this would allow the transportation sector to reduce emissions mode quickly.

“Our transportation network is one of the most challenging areas of our business to decarbonize, and to achieve net-zero carbon will require a substantial and sustained investment,” Amazon’s chief executive officer, Andy Jassy, said in a press release.

He further commented, “Deploying thousands of electric vans, long-haul trucks, and bikes will help us shift further away from traditional fossil fuels and hopefully, further encourage transportation and automotive industries in Europe and around the world to continue scaling and innovating, as we will have to work together to reach our climate goals.”

Finally, Amazon said it has already surpassed 100 renewable energy projects in the territory, and it is on its way to reducing its emission even more. “Amazon is on a path to powering its operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025, and, in 2021, the company reached 85%,” the company said.