Amazon, a global e-commerce company, has started rolling out custom electric vehicles (EVs) from Rivian, an EV manufacturer, to deliver its packages across the US.
Some of the cities seeing the new vehicles include Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City, Nashville, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle and St. Louis, among other locations.
Amazon expects thousands of delivery EVs in more than 100 cities by the end of 2022 and 100,000 across the US by 2030.
The e-commerce company claims the vehicles were designed with safety, sustainability and driver comfort in mind and that they have been trialled across the nation.
They are part of its partnership with Rivian, which was announced in 2019 when Amazon co-founded its climate pledge to reach net-zero across its operations by 2040. Part of this pledge includes the development of a more sustainable delivery fleet.
“Fighting the effects of climate change requires constant innovation and action, and Amazon is partnering with companies who share our passion for inventing new ways to minimise our impact on the environment,” said Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon.
“Rivian has been an excellent partner in that mission, and we’re excited to see our first custom electric delivery vehicles on the road.
“Today marks a significant milestone in our climate pledge commitment.
“Rivian was one of the first companies Amazon invested in through the climate pledge fund, and we’re just getting started on our journey to have 100,000 of Rivian’s vehicles on the road by 2030.
“And, in addition to being sustainable, these new vehicles are also great for drivers—they were designed with driver input and feedback along the way, and they’re among the safest and most comfortable delivery vehicles on the road today.”
The vehicles are custom made at Rivian’s factory in Illinois and include a range of technologies to improve delivery services and driver experiences.
Some safety features include a 360-degree visibility, sensor detection, traffic assistance technology, a large windshield to enhance driver visibility, automatic emergency breaking, adaptive cruise control and collision warnings.
Amazon claims the batteries as light, resilient and affordable and are designed to last the whole lifespan of a vehicle. The company has reportedly added thousands of chargers to its delivery stations across the US to support the fleet.
