Mercedes to provide Amazon with 5,000 electric delivery vans; largest deployment in Europe

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The Mercedes eSprinter, left, accounts for roughly three-quarters of the Amazon order with the eVito representing the rest.

Mercedes-Benz Vans will supply nearly 5,000 battery-electric delivery vans to Amazon’s logistics partners in Europe.

It is Amazon’s largest deployment of full-electric vans in Europe so far.

The vehicles will be deployed in five countries in the coming months, with more than half of the fleet headed to Germany. The other countries getting the vans are Austria, France, Italy and the U.K.

The eSprinter large van accounts for roughly three-quarters of the order with the eVito midsize van representing the rest.

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Both vehicles feature underbody battery placement to maximize cargo space and come standard with the MBUX multimedia system, which integrates charging stops into navigation and connects to the Mercedes charging network.

Amazon said the new fleet will help deliver more than 200 million parcels annually across Europe.

The two companies have been collaborating on electrification since 2020, when Amazon first added about 1,800 Mercedes electric vans to its delivery network.

That same year, Mercedes joined Amazon’s Climate Pledge, which commits signatories to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.

The eVito vans, produced at Mercedes’ factory in Vitoria, Spain, are tailored for urban last-mile deliveries. Available with 60-kilowatt-hour or 90-kWh batteries and electric motor outputs of 85 kilowatts or 150 kW, the van offers a maximum WLTP-certified range of 480 km.

The Mercedes eSprinter has a maximum WLTP range of 484 km.
The Mercedes eSprinter has a maximum WLTP range of 484 km.

The eSprinter, built in Dusseldorf, Germany, is positioned as a higher-capacity option. Offered in two lengths and three battery configurations, the eSprinter provides up to 14 cubic meters of cargo space, a gross vehicle weight of 4.25 metric tons and a maximum WLTP range of 484 km.

“Both companies recognized the potential of working together early on, particularly in the field of electromobility,” Mercedes executive Marko Stelse, who is head of the company’s courier express and parcel (CEP) business, said in an emailed reply to questions.

In Germany, for example, they joined forces with Mercedes dealer Fahrzeug-Werke and other partners in 2018 to make Amazon’s Bochum distribution center the company’s first location with extensive charging infrastructure.

“There was intensive cooperation with Amazon, among others, in the special adaptation of vehicles to the needs of drivers in the CEP industry,” Stelse said. “The CEP industry is a strong driver of electric mobility, both in city centers and for journeys between urban centers.”

He said battery-electric vans offer several advantages over those with combustion engines, such as improved air quality in urban areas because the vehicles don’t produce emissions while on the road.

“Noise emissions are also lower,” Stelse added.

Since delivery routes are predictable, they can be coordinate around the battery capacity of the eVito and eSprinter, which are recharged at the depots until their next tours.

Amazon aims to achieve net-zero carbon by 2040, so it sees e-van partnerships like this stimulating production of the vehicle, increasing availability, and helping reduce costs for logistics providers across the industry, an Amazon spokesperson said in an emailed reply to questions.

“The new vehicles include enhanced features for safety and ergonomics, along with delivery-focused upgrades such as custom shelving for package organization,” the spokesperson added.

Gartner Vice President of Research Pedro Pacheco said that while the order is substantial, “It won’t be enough for Mercedes to make its electric van sales numbers.”

He added that in the U.S., Amazon has ordered 100,000 electric vans from Rivian to be delivered by 2030.

Amazon said June 19 that since its started rolling out the Rivian vans in the summer of 2022, its fleet has grown to 25,000 across the U.S.

Amazon is also expanding its use of electric heavy goods vehicles. Earlier this year, the company ordered 200 eActros 600s from Mercedes-Benz Trucks. It was Amazon’s largest order to date for eHGVs, the company said.

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