Amazon has today announced the expansion of its fleet of electric HGVs (heavy good vehicles) in the UK.
More than 140 new Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 electric HGVs and eight Volvo FM battery electric trucks will be joining the tech and retail titan’s transportation network over the next 18 months, as part of its decarbonisation strategy.
It builds on the nine electric HGVs currently operating across Amazon’s UK transportation network.
Alongside the vehicle roll-out, Amazon said it is set to install additional fast charging infrastructure across key UK sites, including 360kW electric charging points capable of charging the 40-tonne Mercedes-Benz trucks from 20 to 80% in just over an hour. The new electric trucks will have a range of 310 miles on full charge.
Approximately 20 of the Mercedes-Benz trucks will join Amazon’s network following the company’s participation in the UK government’s ‘Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator’ (ZEHID) programme, with a proportion funded by the Department for Transport and coordinated in partnership with Innovate UK. The Volvo vehicles are part of this initiative too.
Operated by Amazon’s carrier partners, the electric HGVs will haul trailers with products and customer packages to and from Amazon’s fulfilment centres, sort centres and delivery stations.
Nicola Fyfe, European vice president of Amazon Logistics, remarked: “Decarbonising our transport network is key in helping us achieve our goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions across our operations by 2040 and today’s announcement is an exciting and major step forward for us in this mission.”
Amazon also said this week that, for the first time in the UK, it has launched rail deliveries at scale, with Amazon products loaded onto train carriages on the fully electric West Coast Main Line between Scotland and the midlands. Products are then picked up from stations close to local Amazon delivery and fulfilment centres where they are sorted and packed ready for customer delivery.
More than 20 million products sold on Amazon are expected to travel on the UK’s electric rail network in 2025, and there are plans to expand across further rail routes before the end of the year.
In addition to the new transportation, Amazon has expanded on-foot deliveries across central London. Via pilots developed in partnership with the boroughs of Hackney, Westminster, and Islington, Amazon is providing associates with carts that can be restocked on-the-go from vans dotted around the capital in an effort to reduce the mileage its vehicles travel to augment its growing e-cargo bike service.
Fyfe added: “The combination of our – and the UK’s – biggest ever order of electric HGVs, the UK’s electric rail network now being used to transport customer packages, and the launch of restocking on the move on-foot deliveries, all alongside our partners’ fleet of electric vans and e-cargo bikes, will help us move more customer orders across our fulfilment network with zero exhaust emissions.”
Future of roads minister, Lilian Greenwood, noted: “Business has a crucial role to play in decarbonising our roads, and that’s why it’s fantastic to see Amazon place the UK’s biggest ever order of electric trucks, supported in part by the government’s £200 million ZEHID project.
“This comes on top of our £2.3 billion to help industry and consumers switch to electric vehicles, supporting jobs, attracting investment and making Britain a clean energy superpower.”
Michelle Gardner, deputy director for policy at Logistics UK, commented: “Decarbonisation is one of the biggest challenges facing the logistics industry, as businesses seek to match the need to move away from a reliance on fossil fuels with pressures from customers to maximise delivery efficiency.
“Currently, almost 90% of the UK’s freight is moved by road, so it is important that the sector considers alternatively-fuelled vehicles and a shift to different transport modes in order to fulfil demand. Today’s announcement from Amazon demonstrates the sector’s willingness to change and its commitment to reducing overall emissions.”
News of Amazon’s investment in electric HGVs comes after Marks & Spencer said yesterday it would be rolling out 85 diesel alternative HGVs over the coming months.
[image credit: Amazon]
