Amazon Los has designed a revision for customers in Angeles and started delivering using built-in electric vans.
In September 2012, Amazon announced the purchase of 100,000 electric delivery vehicles from Rivian as part of its goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions throughout its operations by 2040. Amazon started a fund as part of this fund and through it invested in Rivian.
E-commerce titles debuted version of their distribution vans in October last year. Now, Amazon says it will test custom electric vehicles in 2021 in 16 more cities. Customer deliveries are a part of regular testing by Amazon and Rivian to measure performance and safety sustainability in different climates and geographies. The first road test began more than four months ago. In a statement sent to CNBC, Ross Rachey, Amazon’s director of global fleet and products, said the electrification effort was a matter of pride for the company. Amazon has needed to install thousands of electric car chargers in North America and Europe, change the layout of electrical design, and supply facilities.
Amazon and Rivian began testing vehicles four months before customer delivery as part of the testing and development process. Amazon has begun converting buildings to house a fleet of new vehicles and has installed thousands of electric vehicle charging stations at its distribution centers across North America and Europe, the agency said.
“We love the excitement of customers so far – the pictures we see online are for car fans that stop our drivers to take a first look at the car,” said Ross Rachey, director of global fleet and products at Amazon, in a statement. “From what we’ve seen, it’s one of the fastest modern commercial electrification programs and we’re incredibly proud of it.”
The exteriors of the Rivian-built electric vans share some of the same design features found in today’s gas-powered versions. There are a few more rounded edges and electric vans have an overall slicker look.
The real difference is the electrical architecture and custom features that have integrated into the vans, including the highway driving and traffic assistance features; Exterior cameras that can provide a 360-degree view for the driver via a digital display.
A large interior floor space in the cabin around the surround tail lights for drivers to come and go from the cabin bogie, with better braking visibility and three levels of shelving and a bulkhead cargo bogie separate door. Amazon’s Alexa Voice Assistant is also an embedded feature.
