STUTTGART: The environmental cost of having goods delivered over long distances by road is showing signs of dropping in future as retailing giant Amazon is joining companies seeking to switch out their fume-belching trucks for electric-powered logistics.
The company has just ordered more than 200 electric semi-articulated Actros trucks from Mercedes, its largest electric truck order to date, in a bid to switch from diesel to clean tailpipes.
In a world where businesses are striving to lessen the environmental impact of their operations, electric trucks could help to achieve a more sustainable supply chain, say experts.
Amazon, seeking to improve its reputation for corporate social responsibility, currently also uses thousands of Rivian electric vans for deliveries in Germany and some other countries.
Amazon has set out the goal of becoming net-zero carbon by 2040, but the independent non-profit New Climate Organization has accused the giant of a largely unsubstantiated pledge with poor integrity.
Daimler has long been using electric trucks to deliver parts to its own factories. Beginning this quarter, the trucks will complete 50 all-electric inbound logistics runs to its largest plant in Wörth, Germany. The goal is to electrify 100% of delivery traffic to Wörth by the end of 2026.
Within the next two years, Gruber Logistics based in South Tyrol in Italy will expand its fleet by 50 e-trucks. At the same time, the European logistics provider plans to build its own charging infrastructure for its electric vehicles.
The zero-emission vehicles have been ordered from Volvo, Scania and Iveco and each of the e-trucks will have a total weight of 44 tonnes each and a range of 300km to 350km, depending on operating conditions.
In Australia, trucking and logistics giants Linfox and Toll Holdings are to roll out a combined 54 fully battery electric trucks as part of a new funding round announced by the federal government through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.
And in what might seem like blatant green-washing but marks a small move forward in the United Arab Emirates, Aramex, a logistics company for the oil and gas industry, has launched its first commercial fleet of electric trucks.
Daimler says that in many cases an electric lorry can already keep up with a diesel drive in terms of the total costs of purchase and operation.
Analysts at consulting firm PwC believe electric-powered trucks will largely replace conventional combustion-engined in North America, Europe and China by 2035.
