Amazon claims UK’s biggest ever order of electric trucks and moves onto Britain’s electric railways

Amazon has announced the expansion of zero exhaust emission deliveries in the UK, with its largest ever order of electric heavy goods vehicles (eHGVs). For the first time, its packages are now also being transported at scale on the UK’s electric rail network. In addition, the company has launched on foot customer deliveries for the first time in central London, with trolleys that can be restocked while on the go.

“Decarbonising our transport network is key in helping us achieve our goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions across our operations by 2040 and today’s announcement is an exciting and major step forward for us in this mission, says Nicola Fyfe, EU VP at Amazon Logistics.

“The combination of our - and the UK’s - biggest ever order of eHGVs, the UK’s electric rail network now being used to transport customer packages, and the launch of restocking on the move on-foot deliveries, all alongside our partners’ fleet of electric vans and e-cargo bikes, will help us move more customer orders across our fulfilment network with zero exhaust emissions. This is a win for our customers, the environment and our business.”

More than 140 new electric Mercedes-Benz Truck eActros 600 trucks and eight Volvo FM Battery Electric trucks are joining Amazon’s transportation network over the next 18 months as part of the UK’s largest ever eHGV order, an increase from the nine eHGVs currently operating across Amazon’s transportation network.

The new eHGVs are expected to transport more than 300 million packages each year in the UK with no exhaust emissions once fully operational. 

The company will also install additional fast charging infrastructure across key UK sites, including 360kW electric charging points capable of charging the 40-tonne Mercedes-Benz Truck eActros 600 trucks from 20 to 80 per cent in just over an hour. The new electric trucks will have a range of 310 miles (500 km) on full charge. 

Around 20 of the Mercedes-Benz trucks will join Amazon’s transportation network following the company’s participation in the UK Government’s Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator programme (ZEHID), with a proportion funded by the Department for Transport and coordinated in partnership with Innovate UK. Amazon has also added eight additional Volvo FM Battery Electric trucks as part of the programme.

The new electric trucks, operated by Amazon’s carrier partners, will haul trailers with products and customer packages to and from its fulfilment centres, sort centres and finally delivery stations, from where packages are delivered to customers’ doorsteps.

For the first time in the UK, Amazon has also launched rail deliveries at scale. Its products are loaded onto train carriages on the fully electric West Coast Main Line between Scotland and the Midlands. Products are then picked up from stations close to local Amazon delivery and fulfilment centres, ready for sorting and packing ahead of customer deliveries. They are also transported from stations and Amazon’s wider fulfilment network to ferry ports, while giving small and medium sized UK businesses easier access to European markets. 

More than 20 million products sold on Amazon are expected to travel on the UK’s electric rail network this year, with plans to expand across further rail routes before the end of the year.

Amazon has also launched new on foot deliveries across central London, with pilots developed in partnership with the London Boroughs of Hackney, Westminster and Islington. Delivery associates are making customer deliveries on foot with carts that can be restocked on the go from vans dotted around the capital.

This will help Amazon make more zero-exhaust emission deliveries than ever before, with fewer motorised van trips. More than 70% of London’s Congestion Charge zone is now covered by electric vans, e-cargo bikes and on-foot deliveries, operated by Amazon’s partners.

The company is expanding electric deliveries across UK city centres, with recent electric cargo bike launches in Belfast and Norwich, joining existing Amazon partner fleets in London, Manchester and Glasgow. To date, more than 500,000 Amazon customer delivery routes have changed from traditional fuel vehicles to zero-exhaust emission alternatives.

Since 2022, the US online giant has made more than 150 million deliveries using its electric vans and cargo bikes in the UK. Delivery drivers have driven more than 19 million miles in the electric vans and cycled more than 900,000 miles on the electric cargo bikes across the UK, on routes that would have been otherwise driven by vans with traditional fuel.

“Decarbonisation is one of the biggest challenges facing the logistics industry, as businesses seek to match the need to move away from a reliance on fossil fuels with pressures from customers to maximise delivery efficiency," says Michelle Gardner, Deputy Director, Policy, Logistics UK.

“Currently, almost 90% of the UK’s freight is moved by road, so it is important that the sector considers alternatively-fuelled vehicles and a shift to different transport modes in order to fulfil demand. Today’s announcement from Amazon demonstrates the sector’s willingness to change and its commitment to reducing overall emissions.”

Amazon’s electric cargo bike deliveries are now operational from hubs in more than 45 cities across the UK and Europe, with recent additions in Belfast, Norwich, Madrid, Rome and Vienna joining London, Manchester, Glasgow, Paris, Milan and Munich.

2024 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Green retail was a key focus area at the sixth edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering.