Rivian rollout begins in Europe, says Amazon

Amazon has announced that Rivian electric vans will begin rolling around European roads in the coming weeks to help Amazon reduce its emissions. The Rivian vans have already been deployed in the United States for nearly a year.

While Amazon’s Rivian vans are new additions in Europe, the company has already begun using other electric vans, e-cargo bikes, e-scooters, and walkers to deliver 120 million packages. The company said that the Rivian vans will first appear in Munich, Berlin, and Dusseldorf in Germany.

“Amazon is committed to reaching net-zero carbon by 2040, and reducing our delivery-related emissions is a critical part of this goal,” said Rocco Bräuniger, Country Manager for Amazon.de. “Last year we delivered more than 45 million packages in Germany with electric vans and e-cargo bikes, and these new additions from Rivian will help us deliver packages more sustainably and to more customers.”

Since Rivian vans hit the road in America last year, Amazon has expanded its fleet to more than 3,000 vans that operate in more than 500 cities. By 2030, Amazon aspires to have 100,000 electric delivery vehicles on roads globally to reduce its carbon emissions.

Interestingly, Amazon and Rivian have been trialing preproduction vehicles in Europe since last year to adapt the vehicle to European roads. In the end, it made the vehicle shorter and thinner than the US version to better navigate Europe’s cities.

“Together, Amazon and Rivian designed and built a state-of-the-art electric vehicle from the ground up, and unlike anything else on the road today,” said Neil Emery, Amazon, Director, Global Fleet & Product. “The safety and comfort of our drivers were top of mind for us throughout this process, and we’ve raised the bar on both with the vehicle we are rolling out in Europe today.”

The company said that the European variants have been adapted so they deliver better performance, safety, and durability in various climates and geographies.

Hopefully, Amazon will keep us apprised about the further expansion of these vehicles in Europe. In today’s announcement, it didn’t mention where it plans to expand to next but it has plenty of countries, with varying climates and geographies, to choose from.