Global|Geneva
Strategic investments, wider benefits: decarbonising road transport
3 Nov 2026·Environment
Battery-electric vehicle adoption remains concentrated among larger operators and on shorter routes. But large-scale deployment can also help create the conditions for others to follow, Amazon’s Andreas Marschner told us.
The road transport industry’s shift to more than 200 electric trucks running throughout its European network.
“Our investments in Europe are helping drive the region’s transition to a low-carbon economy, while also supporting economic growth, competitiveness and long-term resilience,” said Andreas Marschner, Amazon’s Vice‑President of Worldwide Sustainable Operations.
Using scale to bring others along
According to Andreas Marschner, the benefits of scale go well beyond cutting emissions in Amazon’s own network.
“Scale gives manufacturers and infrastructure providers confidence that demand will be there,” he said. “Large and sustained orders can help reduce investment risk and accelerate the deployment of both vehicles and charging infrastructure.”
The Green Compact survey illustrates why this is important.
Vehicle costs now represent a primary obstacle to adopting alternative‑fuel vehicles, reported by 66 % of operators in Western Europe and 78 % in Eastern Europe. Smaller firms possess less capital, find financing harder to obtain, and have limited ability to absorb failed trials or operational setbacks.
Amazon has aimed to lower this hurdle for certain third‑party companies that work within its network.
In some instances, Amazon collaborates with fleet‑management firms to define electric‑vehicle specifications. Those firms then buy and lease the vehicles to operators serving Amazon routes, cutting the operators’ upfront capital outlay and enabling the wider network to draw on operational insights from Amazon’s extensive transport system.
This underlying principle applies beyond just vehicles.
The generated electricity powers Amazon’s operations and also aids the decarbonisation of grids serving homes, public services and industry.
In transport, sizable vehicle orders and stable freight demand can provide comparable signals, giving manufacturers and infrastructure providers clearer insight into market direction.
Beyond the vehicle
Nevertheless, the vehicle is just one element of the transition; charging infrastructure remains a significant challenge, especially for heavy‑duty transport.
Amazon has deployed thousands of EV charging points in Germany and the UK, plus hundreds more across France, Italy and Spain, and is tackling broader infrastructure challenges beyond its own sites.
One example is CHALET, an open‑rging infrastructure is most needed on European highways
Amazon also backs the creation of an electric freight corridor in Poland. The pilot, slated for 2027, seeks to pool demand for zero‑tailpipe‑emission freight transport along key logistics routes, enabling simultaneous deployment of electric trucks and high‑capacity charging infrastructure.
This approach reframes a core electrification challenge: rather than waiting for infrastructure before rolling out vehicles, aggregated demand can signal to providers where investment is required.
“Electrifying transport means recognising how investments in vehicles, charging infrastructure and power grids need to enable each other,” said Andreas Marschner. “We need to confidently invest across the whole electric logistics ecosystem to accelerate the sector’s transformation.”
“That requires coordination across operators, infrastructure providers, energy companies and policymakers,” he added.
Amazon has extended this collective‑demand principle more widely, co‑founding the Sustainable Freight Buyers Alliance, which unites freight buyers to coordinate demand for battery‑electric vehicles and charging infrastructure.
This underscores a broader lesson from the transition.
IRU Green Compact Survey Report 2026
Amazon may possess the scale to act early, yet even the biggest firms cannot decarbonise road logistics on their own. Grid capacity, charging networks, vehicle availability and supportive policies must evolve in tandem with demand.
Decarbonising transport is part of Amazon’s Climate Pledge commitment to achieve net‑zero emissions across its operations by 2040.
“Our investments are not only reducing our own environmental footprint. They are also helping to de-risk investment in the technologies and infrastructure that will underpin Europe’s green transition and long-term industrial competitiveness,” said Andreas Marschner.
Amazon’s experience demonstrates the impact of mobilising large‑scale demand for decarbonisation. The broader challenge lies in creating conditions that enable more operators—especially smaller firms that dominate the road logistics sector—to follow suit.
About Amazon
Since launching as an online retailer in 1995, Amazon has been dedicated to being Earth’s most customer‑centric company, allowing people to find and purchase anything online. It also enables other retailers to sell
Since 2021, Amazon has invested EUR 17 billion in European companies pioneering low‑carbon technologies across the energy, transportation and packaging sectors. According to
