(Credit: Mercedes-Benz and Amazon)Amazon announced it is adding more than 1,800 electric vehicles from Mercedes-Benz Vans to its delivery fleet in Europe this year. Mercedes-Benz also announced this week it has joined The Climate Pledge, which calls on signatories to be net zero carbon across their businesses by 2040 — a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement goal of 2050.
As part of Mercedes-Benz’s commitment as the latest signatory of The Climate Pledge, the company is doubling down on its commitment to "Ambition2039," a roadmap to CO2-neutral mobility. The company is evaluating ways to remove carbon from its entire value chain, from development to the supplier network, from its own production to the electrification of products and beyond, as well as to ensuring renewable energies for the use phase of electric vehicles. Its goal is to have a CO2-neutral fleet of new cars in less than 20 years.
By the end of this year, the vehicle portfolio will comprise five fully electric models and more than 20 plug-in hybrids. Signatories to The Climate Pledge also have the opportunity to share access to technologies, best practices and innovations in supply chain enhancements. They are also able to co-invest in new technologies and emerging solutions.
Amazon’s Delivery Service Partners will have access to the new fleet of zero-emission vehicles to make deliveries to customers in Europe this year, helping to save thousands of metric tons of carbon. The order is a milestone for Mercedes-Benz Vans, marking the largest order of electric vehicles for the manufacturer to date, and makes Amazon its largest sustainable transportation partner worldwide. More than 1,200 EVs in the order will be comprised of the newest electric commercial van available at Mercedes-Benz – the eSprinter, a larger model than the manufacturer’s first zero-emission vehicle, the eVito. The remaining 600 vehicles will be comprised of the manufacturer’s midsize electric van, the eVito, to give Delivery Service Partners operating in geographies that require a smaller-format vehicle access to a zero-emissions delivery option.
Amazon is also committed to powering its growing electric fleet with clean energy. Amazon has committed to run on 100% renewable energy by 2025. Globally, Amazon has 91 renewable energy projects that have the capacity to generate over 2,900 MW and deliver more than 7.5 million MWh of energy annually. These projects include 31 utility-scale wind and solar renewable energy projects and 60 solar rooftops on fulfillment centers and sort centers around the globe.
This announcement comes on the heels of news that Amazon's businesses had emitted 15% more carbon dioxide in 2019 than they had in 2018.
According to the company’s numbers, Amazon’s total carbon footprint for 2019 was 51.17 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMT CO2e) compared to 44.4 MMT CO2e in 2018. The 2018 numbers were released last fall after employees pressured the company to step up its response to climate change.
