Amazon's first electric delivery vehicle arrives

The partnership between Amazon and Rivian has resulted in the first electric vehicle that will be used for deliveries. In 2019, Amazon announced its commitment to fight CO2 emissions with The Climate Pledge and, therefore, to reach the zero emissions milestone no later than 2024. For this reason, by 2022, Amazon plans to use 10,000 electric vehicles to deliver to its customers and 100,000 electrified vehicles within the next 10 years. Therefore, the electric vehicle model just presented by Amazon is the first of three that will be made. Ross Rachey, Amazon's Director of World Fleet and Products spoke on the subject and said the following:

“When we decided to create our first custom electric vehicle together with Rivian, we knew we had to overcome by far any other delivery vehicle. We wanted to create a vehicle that the drivers would love to drive and that customers would be happy to see around town or stop close to home when they get a delivery. We have combined Rivian's technology with our logistics knowledge, and this is the result: the future of last mile deliveries. "

Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe later added:

“The vehicle we developed with Amazon is not just electric. We have given absolute priority to safety and functionality to create a vehicle that is perfect for making deliveries. We thought about how the drivers get on and off the van, how they feel inside the workspace and the operations they carry out when they make deliveries ".

Better driving experience, safety and innovative design: the characteristics of Amazon's electric vehicles

Amazon's new electric vehicles are characterized by the presence of latest generation sensor systems, the which increase the safety of the driver thanks also to some functions on roadside assistance and to a larger windshield that allows greater visibility. In addition, outside the cockpit there is a camera system that connects to the digital display inside the car. Thanks to this system, the driver has a 360 ° view of the surrounding environment. The Alexa voice assistant provides additional support for information on weather and traffic. The driver's door is reinforced and more space is guaranteed inside the car in order to have more space to move around. Rachey concludes with the following words:

“We are working to develop and implement the technology that will support these vehicles - from the physical charging infrastructure to upgrading and optimizing our sorting depots. We hope this electric vehicle will help create a sense of urgency in the industry and inspire operators to think big by adopting sustainable technologies and solutions - whether it's a delivery company, a logistics company, an ice cream manufacturer or almost anyone else who uses vehicles on the road ”.