EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Within its incredible 25-year evolution, the e-commerce giant, Amazon, has built a fleet of more than 30,000 delivery trucks and vans that carry consumer goods to millions of US households. The company employs more than 75,000 drivers to operate these vehicles.

In late 2019, Amazon announced its intention to purchase 100,000 new delivery vans. All will be battery-powered, saving millions in metric tons of carbon each year. As many as 10,000 of Amazon’s new electric vehicles will be driving across the US by 2022 and the entire fleet of 100,000 vehicles is expected to be in-place by 2030.

They’re not just ordinary electric vehicles:

Amazon is trying to surprise and delight its drivers as much as its customers. Amazon’s new electric vehicles will be equipped with Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant (the hands-free version) to assist drivers in finding the best route and navigating around inclement weather.

Says an Amazon representative, there will be a “dancefloor inside the driver’s cabin for easy movement inside the van”. TikTok dance videos, anyone? The purpose of this feature hasn’t been publicly clarified.

Amazon presented start-up company Rivian with $7 million in funding to produce these vehicles. While Rivian’s original goals included competing with Tesla, the company has since pivoted to a more “action-adventure customer segment,” reports The Verge.

To learn more about auto start-ups, and Amazon’s electric vehicles, watch the clip available here.