Amazon rolls out first fleet of all-electric delivery vans

(WLS) - Amazon has released its first fleet of Rivian all-electric delivery vans built in Illinois.

Hundreds of the electric delivery vans are now hitting the road – all part of Amazon’s climate pledge to reach net-zero carbon by 2040.

Amazon is relying on Rivian vehicles to help meet that goal, investing more than $1 billion in the company to make a custom fleet of electric vans.

Drivers will start and end their days at Amazon fulfillment centers, charging the vehicle overnight for the next day’s shift – no gas stops needed.

The electric vans are starting out in more than a dozen cities across the U.S., including Nashville, St. Louis, Dallas and Seattle. While the initial rollout consists of a few hundred vehicles, Jeff Bezos said he wants to see 100,000 of them on the road by the end of the decade.

The new vehicles include touchscreens for drivers with all the package information and navigation they need. There are also more upgrades, like heated and cooled seats and steering wheels, exterior cameras, automatic emergency breaking and collision-warning technology.

Amazon expects to have thousands of Rivian vans in more than 100 U.S. cities by the end of the year.