In a partnership that began in 2019 between Amazon and Rivian, an electric vehicle company, the duo has announced that they will roll out a fleet of custom electric vehicles across the U.S. The following cities have been identified as the first to see these Amazon package delivery trucks: Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City, Nashville, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle, and St. Louis.
This is the first phase of Amazon’s plan to convert to electric vehicles, with the intention to launch in over 100 cities by the end of 2022, and in 100,000 cities across the U.S. by 2030.
“Today represents an important step…for transportation and the environment,” said RJ Scaringe, CEO of Rivian, in a statement. “In 2019, Rivian and Amazon committed to fast-tracking a new type of delivery vehicle that would result in a significant reduction of carbon emissions. To say this is an exciting moment is an understatement—we’re thrilled to see this partnership has kickstarted decarbonization projects across the logistics delivery industry.”
The partnership began when Amazon co-founded and signed The Climate Pledge, a commitment to reach net-zero carbon across operations by 2040. The pledge has challenged the retailer to improve the sustainability efforts of its delivery fleet, with the commitment to have all 100,000 electric delivery vehicles on the road by 2030. According to the company, this effort will save millions of metric tons of carbons per year.
“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 minimize our impact on the environment,” said Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon, in a statement. “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.”
Charging stations have been added to Amazon delivery hubs across the country, and the company will continue to build infrastructure to support a more sustainable delivery fleet.
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