Amazon ordered 100,000 electric delivery vehicles—the largest-ever order of electric delivery vehicles—from Rivian, a producer of emissions-free electric vehicles with a vehicle development centre in Plymouth, USA.
Amazon says that the new vans will start delivering packages in 2021. In an announcement Tuesday, the company showed off the design for the electric vehicles, which it says were designed with input from current delivery drivers and has improved various creature comforts.
Each vehicle is designed to include a suite of advanced safety technology and industry-leading features, including automated emergency braking, front-wheel and all-wheel drive options, lane-keep assist, a pedestrian warning system, traffic design recognition, and an automatic warning system that detects and alerts distracted driver behaviour.
The order is part of The Climate Pledge, Amazon’s commitment to meet the Paris Agreement 10 years early. The pledge also calls on signatories to become net-zero carbon across their businesses by 2040, a decade ahead of the Paris Accord’s goal of 2050.