[ad_1]
In a bid to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, Amazon announced on May 7 that it’s beginning to utilise Volvo’s electric big rigs for operations related to cargo. The company confirmed its plans to deploy a dozen of these rigs which are to operate out of the Southern California port, the busiest container port in the country.
Currently, eight of these electric semis are already in use at the Los Angeles/Long Beach port complex which has a mandate to shift to zero-emissions by 2035. This initiative from Amazon extends their electrification projects all the way from ocean ports to customer delivery, however, only a little more than 1% of the 23,761 trucks that operate out of the complex are currently zero-emission.
Amazon has already implemented 13,500 Rivian electric delivery vans since 2022 but this new shift to using electric semis is seen to be more demanding due to heavier loads and the increased need for charging infrastructure. The company, in partnership with truck manufacturer Volvo and driver supplier J.B Hunt, is in the data collection stage to understand the battery performance and determine the number of trucks needed.
Charging these trucks will take place at an offsite facility operated by Forum Mobility, an Amazon early investor. On top of that, Forum Mobility has started the construction of a high-speed charging depot at the Port of Long Beach that will be able to serve 44 trucks simultaneously.
[ad_2]
