E-commerce giant Amazon India has announced that its fleet of delivery vehicles in the country will include 10,000 electric vehicles (EVs) by 2025.

The fleet will include three-wheeler and four-wheeler electric vehicles which have been designed and manufactured in India. In 2020, these vehicles will operate in over 20 cities, including Delhi NCR, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune, Nagpur, and Coimbatore to name a few, and this number will continue to grow, states the company.

In its statement, Amazon added that the learnings from the pilot projects in 2019 have helped the company create scalable and long-term electric vehicle variants to build this large fleet. These EVs are in addition to the global commitment of 100,000 electric vehicles in the delivery fleet by 2030, announced in the Climate Pledge signed by Amazon.

When asked how many EVs did Amazon use in its pilot projects and what were the learnings, the spokesperson of the company told Mercom, “We are unable to share the exact numbers since the numbers have been growing/scaling through the year. There were good learnings in terms of understanding and building charging infrastructure and understanding battery life and other such details.”

The company states that the significant progress in the Indian e-mobility industry in the last few years has led to advanced technology, and superior motor and battery components. “There is significant progress made by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and government policies are aiding the development of this industry,” the spokesperson added.

Last year, the global e-commerce giant said that it aims to make 50% of all of its shipments with net-zero carbon by 2030. The company plans on achieving this goal by leveraging renewable energy, biofuels, and reusable packaging. The company calls this initiative “Shipment Zero.”

In June 2018, Mercom reported on the news of Amazon India planning to set up 8,000 kW of rooftop solar installations by the end of the year at its fulfillment centers and sorting facilities across the country.  The initiative was aimed at generating clean energy to make its centers self-sustaining.

Anjana is a news editor at Mercom India. Before joining Mercom, she held roles of senior editor, district correspondent, and sub-editor for The Times of India, Biospectrum and The Sunday Guardian. Before that, she worked at the Deccan Herald and the Asianlite as chief sub-editor and news editor. She has also contributed to The Quint, Hindustan Times, The New Indian Express, Reader’s Digest (UK edition), IndiaSe (Singapore-based magazine) and Asiaville. Anjana holds a Master’s degree in Geography from North Bengal University, and a diploma in mass communication and journalism from Guru Ghasidas University, Bhopal.