Electric Delivery Vehicles Now Key Battleground For Auto Industry
As we're all waiting for the electric mobility revolution to kick in and battery-powered cars become accessible enough (or charging stations become big enough), the real EV revolution in the delivery world seems to be happening in delivery vans.
The EU estimates that tiny delivery vans account for about 12% of emissions from “light” vehicles and up to 2.5% of total CO2 emissions, so switching to batteries would be very beneficial. Add to that the fact that many of us shop online now – of all kinds – and you can see that the number of paint trucks that get on and off your road is likely to increase in the years to come.
Image Source: Google
Amazon stepped out of the first block and ordered 100,000 electric vans for delivery from electric car maker Rivian startup. The first vans have already been delivered and Amazon will begin testing and testing them before normal operation in 2021.
This is the first working and marketable vehicle Rivian – the electric starter, with future pickup and SUV projects and investments from Ford and Amazon – has provided to highlight its potential.
This is an interesting moment. Amazon has been accused of putting so much pressure on its delivery staff that many say they ignore stop signs and even use bottles and glasses for toilet breaks to keep up with schedules. Amazon said it was on a lunch break and the toilet was stopping on schedule.
