The multinational tech company, Amazon announced its biggest electric mobility project in Germany yet. The Essen distribution center has been set up with 340 charging stations, with 150 electric delivery vehicles operating on a daily basis.
Amazon reports that eight out of eleven delivery partners in Essen have made the switch to electric transporters. Essen has a total of 150 electric vans on the road, with two more delivery partners in the Bochum distribution center that operate an additional 40 EVs.
LUEG BaseCamp GmbH was awarded the contract for the charging infrastructure. It not only offers vehicle rental along with claims management and repair, but also offers on site parking space rental and charging. Spokesman for the Executive Board Fahrzeug-Werke LUEG AG, Martijn Storm, stated that this is “one of the most innovative and promising business models of our LUEG Group”.
Director of Amazon logistics in Germany, Robert Viegers said about the project “We are pleased to expand our cooperation with BaseCamp – a program that gives small and medium sized delivery companies in Essen access to a turnkey solution on a large scale by providing vehicles and services.” Viegers also touched on the 100,000 electric delivery vans the company ordered from electric pickup start-up Rivian. However, it remains unknown whether the vans supplied by Rivian will primarily operate in the U.S. or if they will be seen completing deliveries in Europe or Germany.
Although 10 Mercedes eVito and 40 StreetScooters are currently operation in Bavaria, as far as what models to expect in Essen remains unclear.