Amazon Custom Delivery EVs Hit the Road in Select Cities

Amazon electric vehicle deliveries began rolling out in cities including Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City, Nashville, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle and St. Louis, the company said Thursday. Amazon expects to have the custom delivery EVs from Rivian on the road in more than 100 cities by year-end, with long-term plans for 100,000 EVs nationwide by 2030. The EVs are part of Amazon’s sustainability effort; it says it will save “millions of metric tons of carbon” annually by 2030. Amazon has been testing deliveries with Rivian preproduction vehicles since 2021, delivering more than 430,000 packages and accumulating over 90,000 miles, it said. Rivian has completed certifications with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, California Air Resources Board and Environmental Protection Agency, Amazon said. The EV's safety features include sensor detection, highway and traffic assist technology, automatic emergency breaking and collision warnings, it said. Embedded technology integrates the delivery workflow with the vehicle for “seamless access” to routing, navigation and driver support. The vehicles have automatic door locking/unlocking as the driver approaches or leaves the vehicle; a powered bulkhead door opens when drivers reach their delivery location, Amazon said. Batteries were designed to last the vehicle's lifetime. Amazon has added “thousands” of charging stations at its delivery stations across the country and will continue to invest in building an infrastructure to support a more sustainable delivery fleet, the company said. It partnered with the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies, and several other fleet operators, to launch the Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance, bringing together companies to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles, it said.