Delivery van sounds boring, right? Definitely not in the case of new, highly innovative Amazon delivery vehicle. Company recently announced plans to invest more than €1 billion over the next five years to electrify and decarbonize its transportation network across Europe and according to Amazon’s Climate Pledge, they are planning to reach net-zero carbon emmisions by 2040 and their new vans are certainly important part of this process. First zero-emmisions vehicles rolled out this summer in many cities, including Chicago, Dallas and Seattle. Since then Amazon expanded its fleet and now there are more than 1,000 electric delivery vehicles making deliveries in over 100 cities across the U.S. The company’s ultimate goal is to have 100,000 electric vehicles by the end of 2030, hence eliminating millions of metric tons of carbon per year.
But what’s so special about these vans? As I already mentioned, they are part of Amazon’s plan to reduce carbon emmisions, being fully electric. They have modular design and come in 3 sizes, being able to hold up to 500, 700 and 900 cubic feet of cargo. These vehicles are being manufactured by Rivian, Tesla’s biggest competitor when it comes to electric vehicles. They are built exclusively for Amazon and were designed to suit the needs and make the delivery driver’s job easier. From self opening bulkhead doors when putting the van in parking mode to heated seat and steering wheel. There’s also a large touchscreen, where drivers can adjust all the settings, that also comes with pre-installed Amazon software. All over the vehicle, we can observe many colored accents in prime blue color, because that’s how Amazon named this color, that indicates it’s affiliation to the company.
Safety and driver comfort were prime considerations during the development of the vehicle, hence we can observe many features centered around driver. All EDV models come with an integrated first aid kid, 360-degree cameras, automatic emergency breaking and blind-spot monitoring. There’s also an SOS button right by the steering wheel that disconnects high-voltage systems that could cause fire and calls for authorities when pushed. We cannot ignore EDV’s huge red taillamp making the van more visible and safe for other drivers.
I believe these new Amazon vans are a great upgrade to the company’s existing fleet. They are very beneficial for the environment and for the ease of delivery. I can’t wait to see these vehicles in Poland as they are very interesting-looking and modern.
Sources:
https://topelectricsuv.com/news/rivian/rivian-amazon-edv-700-electric-van/
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/g42063896/rivian-amazon-edv-delivery-van-black-friday/
https://www.motortrend.com/news/checking-in-on-the-rivian-amazon-edv-electric-van/
https://rivian.com/newsroom/media/amazon-edv
https://www.aboutamazon.com/planet/climate-pledge
This new invention of a new delivery van is an excellent idea!
Adopting electric delivery vans by Amazon is a positive step towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions and addressing climate change. It can also help reduce air pollution in urban areas, as electric vehicles do not produce tailpipe emissions. However, it is crucial to consider the entire lifecycle of electric cars’ emissions and the source of the electricity used to charge them.
Overall, this is an excellent way for humanity to become more eco-friendly!
It’s great to see most recent car trends being introduced to the commercial vehicles market. Rivian did a great job designing the van to look great and have many tech-driven features, let alone the fact that it’s electric.
It’s impressive how much Amazon is like an octopus coming into one industry after another. With such success, Amazon will soon create its own worldwide shipping department, thereby competing well with FedEx and UPS. It’s amazing how a company that started out selling books is already in the process of manufacturing its own trucks.
These delivery vehicles are the only electric cars that I believe will work in the long term. Since, amazon has the capability of fast charging and the amount that hey travel isn’t far. For the drivers of them I think the biggest is that they finally have air-conditioning lol.