Amazon brings first electric vehicles from Rivian to Germany
Amazon today announced the launch of new Rivian bespoke electric delivery vehicles in Europe. More than 300 of these vehicles will be put into operation in the Munich, Berlin and Düsseldorf area in the next few weeks. They will be part of a fleet of thousands of electric vehicles already on the road in Europe - including over 1,000 in Germany. Last year, Amazon announced that it would invest more than EUR 1 billion to electrify its European transport network and reduce CO2 emissions. Germany accounts for more than 400 million euros of this.
"Together, Amazon and Rivian have developed and produced a state-of-the-art electric vehicle from scratch. It's unlike anything currently on the road," said Neil Emery, Director Global Fleet & Product at Amazon. "The safety and comfort of our partners' drivers have the highest priority for us. With the vehicle that we are presenting in Germany today, we are setting new standards in terms of both aspects."
"We are pleased that the electric delivery vehicles are being launched in Germany today," says Dagan Mishoulam, Vice President Strategy & Go To Market at Rivian."The vehicle was developed with our partners at Amazon and not only focuses on the comfort and safety of the driver, but also on the environment. We've had great feedback from the riders and now we're excited to start the international expansion in Germany.Today is a true milestone for us and we are very excited about our future in the region."
"Amazon has committed to be carbon neutral by 2040. Reducing our delivery-related emissions plays an important role in this," says Rocco Bräuniger, Country Manager at Amazon.de. "Last year, our delivery partners delivered more than 45 million parcels to customers in Germany using electric delivery vehicles and cargo bikes. Rivian's new vehicles will help deliver parcels in an even more sustainable way."
Amazon started rolling out Rivian eVans in the US last summer. More than 3,000 vehicles are in use to date, serving more than 500 American cities and regions. Amazon has set itself the goal of putting 100,000 Rivian electric delivery vehicles on the road worldwide by 2030 - and thus saving millions of tons of CO2 every year.
The new delivery vehicles from Rivian focus on safety, sustainability and comfort and have been thoroughly tested by drivers in Germany. The vehicles are the result of Amazon and Rivian's partnership, which was announced in 2019 - the year Amazon
co-founded and became the first company to sign the Climate Pledge. The Climate Pledge is Amazon's commitment to make all operations carbon neutral by 2040. As part of that promise, Amazon is building a more sustainable transportation network. Working with Rivian is an important contribution to decarbonizing the last mile and driving innovation that can in turn help others to become carbon neutral as well.
Amazon's partners have been testing delivery of pre-release Rivian models in Europe since last year. Through this testing phase, Rivian was able to optimize the performance, safety and durability of its vehicle in different climatic and geographical conditions. In the process, the state-of-the-art features have also been improved to ensure driver satisfaction and the overall functionality of the vehicle. For Europe, Amazon and Rivian have designed a shorter and narrower van that is designed for traffic in European cities.
The vehicles contain innovative technologies and features such as:
- A safety-focused design with best-in-class 360° visibility and vehicle features that protect drivers, pedestrians and other road users.
- A range of innovative safety features, a large windscreen for better visibility, emergency braking assistant, automatic distance control and collision warnings.
- Features that improve and simplify the driving experience, e.g. automatic door locking/unlocking as drivers approach and exit the vehicle, and an electrically operated storeroom door that opens automatically when drivers arrive at the delivery location.
- A reinforced driver's side door for extra protection, an ergonomic driver's cab and an ergonomic cargo area for safe and easy sorting inside the vehicle.
- Lightweight, durable and affordable batteries that last as long as the vehicle.
- Amazon has deployed thousands of charging stations at its locations across Europe and will continue to invest in building infrastructure to encourage a more sustainable delivery fleet.
In 2022, Amazon's delivery partners delivered more than 120 million packages to customers across Europe using more sustainable modes of transport - including electric delivery vehicles, cargo bikes, e-scooters and deliveries on foot. Rivian's new vehicles and the expansion of micro hubs in European cities will help Amazon's partners deliver even more parcels with zero emissions.
Translated from German-languageAmazon press release
Photo copyright Amazon
