The New Way Amazon Is Now Delivering Your Packages That You Probably Haven’t Noticed
Amazon has started to use electric Rivian vans to deliver packages in an effort to reduce its carbon footprint to zero by 2040.
Amazon is in full holiday swing and is utilizing Rivian vans to deliver packages. The company started with a small fleet of vans in a select area range of delivery. In an effort to keep up with holiday demand, the company is expanding the delivery zone and adding more Rivian Vans to the growing fleet.
Rivian vans are some of the newest members of the Amazon team. The Rivian vans are custom-made electric delivery vans that the company is using to deliver packages. The delivery vans are more sustainable and reduce the overall carbon footprint of the company.
Back in 2019, Amazon made a pledge to be carbon neutral by the year 2040. The fleet of Rivian vans is one effort by the company to ensure that its carbon-neutral pledge will be fulfilled. The Rivian vans were supposed to begin rotation of use in 2023 but were introduced this past summer in July.
The Rivian vans began making deliveries for Amazon in about a dozen major cities and are currently delivering to around 100 cities in the United States. Nearly 5 million packages have been delivered by the fleet of electric vehicles. With the upcoming holiday season, that number will rapidly continue to grow.
Currently, around 1,000 Rivian vans are being utilized by Amazon to make deliveries and like the number of packages delivered, that number will only continue to rise. In 2019, the company initially invested a giant $700 million into the delivery vehicles. Included in the initial order, 100,000 vans are to be produced by 2030.
The Rivian Vans are custom-made for Amazon and come in three models. Included in the electric van fleet are Mercedes-Benz Sprinters, Ram ProMasters, and Ford Transit Vans. Though the Rivian vans that are a part of the electric vehicle fleet are Amazon exclusives, Rivian has similar models available for purchase on their website.
Amazon and Rivian collaborated and worked together to design and develop the Rivian vans to best meet the needs of the company and its delivery drivers. The vans use advanced software that is integrated into the vehicle to optimize workflow. Additionally, the vehicle is packed with safety features.
The van itself is ergonomically designed with up to 840 cubic feet of storage. The vehicles also feature a sliding door for the delivery driver. Unlike many other delivery vans, the new Rivian vans are climate-controlled, offering heat and air.
Heat and air in a delivery van are a huge deal, especially in an electric vehicle. Initially, climate control wasn’t a sure thing as it was thought it might drain the battery. Amazon is taking it a step further than just heat and air and including heated and cooled seats in some of the vehicles. Not only will this be safer and more comfortable for the Amazon delivery driver, but it will also in turn benefit the company as they are more likely to retain the driver as an employee.
Of course, with electric vehicles comes a need for charging stations. To meet this need, Amazon has installed charging stations by the thousands at Amazon delivery hubs all across the United States. Amazon is certainly making a huge effort to keep its pledge of reducing its carbon footprint by putting out this fleet of Rivian vans.
