Amazon accelerates green logistics: EUR 1 billion for a zero-emission fleet

One billion euros of investment to decarbonise and electrify its transport network in Europe and achieve the ambitious goal of 'net zero emission' in all logistics and transport operations by 2025: this is the sustainable challenge that Amazon has been taking up for some time now and which materialised in the official presentation of its new zero-emission range at the Innovation Centre in Dortmund, Germany, during the Delivering the Future event on 7 May. The first challenge is the decarbonisation of the 'middle mile', for which Amazon recently placed its largest single order for electric trucks, with over 200 new eActros600 vehicles from Mercedes-Benz Trucks, which will become part of the fleet over the medium to long haul from the end of 2025. The electric trucks will be deployed on long-haul routes in the UK and Germany: they will transport trailers to and from Amazon's distribution centres, sorting centres and delivery stations. Amazon will install 360 kW electric charging points at strategic locations, which will be able to recharge the batteries of the 40-tonne trucks from 20 to 80 per cent in just over an hour.

Another 'hot' topic is the sustainability of last-mile delivery. And on this front Amazon has already been investing budgets and efforts for a few years now, starting with the partnership with Rivian with which it has co-designed the new 100% electric delivery vans that have already been on the road since 2022 in the United States and since 2023 also in Germany. To date, more than 3,500 electric delivery vans are operational in the transport network across Europe. In addition, to facilitate deliveries in densely populated urban areas, Amazon has established over 60 micro-mobility hubs in more than 45 European cities, enabling millions of zero-emission deliveries on foot or via electric cargo bikes. Recent additions include Belfast, Madrid, Florence, Rome and Vienna, joining hubs in London, Paris, Milan and Munich.

Once fully operational, zero-emission vehicles should be able to transport over 350 million parcels per year. Already today, Amazon stated that more than 200 million parcels were delivered across Europe in 2024 by electric and manual vehicles, including electric vans, e-cargo bikes, e-mopeds and hand trucks.