Online retail giant Amazon has introduced a fleet of 30 battery-powered vans to make deliveries around Ipswich in a bid to cut carbon emissions around the town.

The vehicles are based at Amazon's new delivery station on the Eastern Gateway Enterprise Park and will be used for journeys around the town to deliver packages from the company.


Ipswich Star: The new electric vans charging up at Amazon's delivery centre on the edge of Ipswich.The new electric vans charging up at Amazon's delivery centre on the edge of Ipswich. (Image: nickstrugnell.com©/Amazon)

It rolled out a fleet of Mercedes-Benz electric vehicles as part of The Climate Pledge – Amazon’s commitment to be net zero carbon by 2040, a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement’s goal of 2050.

In August 2020, Amazon announced plans to add more than 1,800 electric vehicles from Mercedes-Benz Vans to its EU delivery fleet, this year, including more than 500 in the UK.

In the Ipswich delivery station, small independent logistics companies have access to more than 30 zero-emission vehicles to make deliveries to Amazon customers, helping to save tens of thousands of metric tons of carbon.

They have already started running the vans to addresses in the town.

Kerry-Anne Lawlor, UK Country Director for Amazon Logistics, said: “Amazon has added electric delivery vehicles from Mercedes-Benz as part of our journey to build the most sustainable transportation fleet in the world, and have been moving fast to get these vans on the road this year.”

Rory Denison, owner of Renison Ltd, said: "It is incredibly exciting to work alongside Amazon to launch its first electric vehicles on the road in the Suffolk area. The response from both our drivers and customers has been fantastic and I hope to continue striving towards a cleaner, more environmentally friendly and sustainable future."

Marcus Breitschwerdt, head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, said: "I am delighted that we are further intensifying our long-standing partnership with Amazon and working together on the battery-electric future of transportation.”

Amazon is committed to supporting its delivery service partners in deploying electric vehicle fleets powered by clean energy. As part of The Climate Pledge, the company is investing in renewable energy as a critical step toward addressing our carbon footprint globally and has pledged to run on 100% renewable energy by 2025.