Amazon on Thursday debuted its electric delivery vans that are set to hit the road in 2022.
The electric vans were developed in partnership with start-up Rivian Automotive. In September 2019, Amazon announced it ordered 100,000 electric delivery vehicles from Rivian as part of the company’s ambitious climate plan, called The Climate Pledge. As part of the plan, Amazon has committed to rely entirely on renewable energy by 2030 and to be carbon neutral by 2040.
Amazon said the new electric vans are one of three different Rivian models it has invested in. The company expects to deploy 10,000 vehicles as early as 2022 and a full fleet of 100,000 by 2030. Previously, CEO Jeff Bezos said Amazon would have 100,000 electric vehicles on the road by 2024.
The vans feature a number of design changes, including upgraded safety features like “state-of-the-art” sensor detection, highway and traffic assist technology, and exterior cameras that give drivers a 360-degree view outside the vehicle. Amazon said the vans are equipped with its digital assistant Alexa to provide hands-free route information.
In August, Amazon ordered more than 1,800 electric vans from German automaker Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz.
