Amazon to up electric fleet by thousands across UK and continent

Amazon is investing more than €1bn (£880m) to add thousands more electric lorries, vans and cargo bikes to its sprawling fleet of delivery vehicles across Europe over the next five years.

The online retailer said it would invest £300m in the UK, where it plans to have as many as 700 electric HGVs by 2025, up from just five today, and more than triple its fleet of electric vans to 10,000 across the continent.

Hundreds of fast charging points for electric vehicles are to be installed at the group’s European warehouses and delivery hubs to allow the new low-carbon fleet to charge in about two hours.

The company is also aiming to double the number European cities where it has so-called “micromobility hubs”, which enable deliveries via cargo bike and on foot, from more than 20 at present.

The investment plan comes amid a boom in online shopping and deliveries since the Covid pandemic, helping to drive up profits for the American retail company founded by the US billionaire Jeff Bezos. It also comes as soaring fuel costs since Russia’s war in Ukraine pushes firms to look at alternative modes of transport.

Amazon said it hoped by taking the step it would encourage other retailers to invest in electric vehicles and help spur the building of more public charging infrastructure.

Andy Jassy, the chief executive of Amazon, said: “Deploying thousands of electric vans, long-haul trucks, and bikes will help us shift further away from traditional fossil fuels.”

He said that achieving net zero carbon emissions required “a substantial and sustained investment” with the transport network “one of the most challenging areas” to decarbonise.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the UK transport secretary, said she supported Amazon’s move. “Significant investments like Amazon’s today will be vital to reducing emissions and meeting our net zero goals, while supporting growth at the same time,” she said.

Earlier this year, Amazon launched a fleet of e-cargo bikes and a team of on-foot delivery staff to replace thousands of van deliveries in London.

The firm’s first “micromobility” hub in Hackney, east London, and a fleet of electric vehicles in the capital were intended to contribute to 5m deliveries a year across about a tenth of the city’s ultra-low emission zone districts.

The bikes are operated by a variety of partner businesses, not directly by Amazon.

The UK government is aiming to encourage small businesses to get on their bikes with the help of incentives and infrastructure, including window cleaners, milk and beer deliverers, plumbers and DJs.

Sales of cargo bikes doubled in the first half of this year, according to the Bicycle Association, as both families and businesses have turned to the low-carbon alternative amid soaring petrol prices and concerns about the environment.