An order box from Amazon from German car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz.
Amazon
Amazon announced Friday that it has ordered more than 1,800 electric vans from German carmaker Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz unit as part of its bid to become carbon neutral by 2040.
The company said the order consisted of 1,200 of Mercedes’ larger eSprinter models and 600 of its mid-size eVito vans. It is not clear how much Amazon paid for the cars.
Amazon said the move was part of its goal to meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement a decade ahead of schedule. President Donald Trump pulled the infamous US from the agreement – which is designed to prevent global temperatures above 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels – back in 2017.
“We welcome the bold leadership shown by Mercedes-Benz by joining The Climate Pledge and committing to ambitious action to tackle climate change,” said Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. “We need continued innovation and partnership from car manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz to carbonize the transport sector and tackle the climate crisis.”
Amazon has boosted its investment in recent climate initiatives, launching a $ 2 billion venture capital to develop businesses in June. It’s also not the first major order of electric cars the company has made – Amazon agreed to buy 100,000 electric vans from Rivian, a start-up in which it invested hundreds of dollars.
But the logistical muscle of the company has been a source of concern for the postal services sector. Traditional mail companies have made their own investments to challenge Amazon’s dominance and change over time. UPS, for example, ordered 10,000 electric vans from UK start-up Arrival at the beginning of the year.
Amazon has benefited from wild growth in e-commerce during the coronavirus pandemic, as consumers flocked online amid government lock-downs. Bezos, the billionaire founder of Amazon, saw his wealth rise to $ 200 billion earlier this week through a rise in the company’s share price. Amazon shares have risen 84% year-on-year so far.
.
