Amazon to up electric fleet by thousands across UK and continent

Amazon is investing more than ¤1bn (£880m) to add thousands more electric lorries, vans and cargo bikes to its sprawling fleet of delivery vehicles across Europe over the next five years.

The online retailer said it would invest £300m in the UK, where it plans to have as many as 700 electric HGVs by 2025, up from just five today, and more than triple its fleet of electric vans to 10,000 across the continent.

Amazon said it hoped by taking the step it would encourage other retailers to invest in electric vehicles and help spur the building of more public charging infrastructure.

Earlier this year, Amazon launched a fleet of e-cargo bikes and a team of on-foot delivery staff to replace thousands of van deliveries in London.

The bikes are operated by a variety of partner businesses, not directly by Amazon.

The UK government is aiming to encourage small businesses to get on their bikes with the help of incentives and infrastructure, including window cleaners, milk and beer deliverers, plumbers and DJs.

Sales of cargo bikes doubled in the first half of this year, according to the Bicycle Association, as both families and businesses have turned to the low-carbon alternative amid soaring petrol prices and concerns about the environment.