Eicher electric trucks to join Amazon delivery fleets in India
Indian commercial vehicle manufacturer Eicher Trucks and Buses has partnered with Amazon to drive the retailer’s middle and last-mile delivery operations in India. The deal will see Amazon and Eicher launch 1,000 electric vehicles over the next five years.
As a first step, Amazon will deploy 50 Eicher electric trucks in major cities like Delhi, Manesar, and Gurugram by the end of 2024. The company refers to “middle-mile” vehicles for moving shipments between Amazon facilities.
The trucks remain unspecified. Amazon only mentions “advanced digital capabilities” and Eicher’s established electric vehicle platform already in operation. Deck lengths range from 24 feet (7.3 metres) and feature “customised cargo stacking configurations”.
The company mentions slow and fast charging capabilities without specifying these further.
Amazon called the collaboration a milestone. The company adds it has now deployed EVs through delivery service partners across more than 400 cities in India.
Amazon had announced plans to this effect already in 2020. The target remains to procure 10,000 zero-emission vehicles in India by 2025 – both e-rickshaws and four-wheelers like the new trucks from local production. Eicher is now one of the suppliers. The company belongs to VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd., a multi-brand company. Apart from comprising the complete range of Eicher Trucks and Buses, it also carries Volvo Buses and is the exclusive distributor of Volvo Trucks in India.
Vinod Aggarwal, Managing Director and CEO of VECV, stated, “We are pleased to collaborate with Amazon as we begin pilots for Amazon’s e-commerce deliveries in Indore, Delhi, Manesar, and Gurugram.”
Abhinav Singh, VP of Customer Fulfilment, Amazon Transportation Services, Global Specialty Fulfilment, and Supply Chain at Amazon India, said, “At this scale, there is no established playbook for fleet transformation, but we are making progress through collaborations like this one to transform our network. We remain committed and are well on our way to integrate 10,000 EVs into our delivery fleet in India by 2025.”
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