Amazon Orders 1,800 EV Delivery Vans From Mercedes, Commits To Go Carbon-Neutral By 2039

When Amazon made its decision to introduce hundreds of new electric vans to its delivery fleet, Tesla’s name didn’t appear to be part of the discussion. Rather, the online behemoth ordered 1,800 electric delivery vans from Mercedes-Benz, marking the biggest order of its kind to date.

Mercedes announced the order on Friday and announced it would “join a climate initiative established by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. By signing up to The Climate Pledge,” according to Reuters. The pledge pins Mercedes to going completely carbon neutral by 2039. 

The transport sector and shipping/delivery remains one of the biggest contributors of carbon emissions on the planet. 

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said: “We need continued innovation and partnership from auto manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz to decarbonize the transportation sector and tackle the climate crisis. Amazon is adding 1,800 electric delivery vehicles from Mercedes-Benz as part of our journey to build the most sustainable transportation fleet in the world, and we will be moving fast to get these vans on the road this year.”

The order is Amazon’s biggest in Europe and compliments a contract it signed last year with Rivian for 100,000 delivery vans by 2030. The order consists of 1,200 large eSprinter vans and about 600 medium-sized eVito vehicles. Delivery is slated to begin next year. 

Lucien Mathieu, an e-mobility and transport analyst concluded: “Amazon’s pledge shows there’s important demand for e-vehicles from delivery fleets.”