The world’s largest online retailer announced Tuesday it is rolling out its largest fleet of heavy-duty trucks.

Amazon said it will use almost 50 zero-emissions Volvo big rigs in Southern California, including, for the first time, at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Combined, the trucks are expected to drive over one million miles annually.

What You Need To Know

  • Amazon announced Monday it will use almost 50 zero-emissions big rigs to haul containers and packages in Southern California

  • It is the company's largest fleet of electric big rigs

  • The battery-electric Volvo VNRs can travel up to 275 miles per charge with a gross weight of 82,000 pounds

  • Amazon also operates a fleet of 13,500 electric delivery vans nationally

“Heavy-duty trucking is a particularly difficult area to decarbonize, which makes us all the more excited to have these vehicles on the road today,” Worldwide Amazon Operations Vice President Udit Madan said in a statement. “We’ll use what we learn from deploying these vehicles as we continue to identify and invest in solutions to reduce emissions in our transportation network and to impact sustainability in the trucking industry more broadly.”

Amazon said the trucks will be used to haul containers of goods from where they are manufactured, through customs, across ports and to its warehouses. They will also be used to carry customer packages between the companies’ fulfillment centers, sort centers, air facilities and delivery stations.

Amazon already uses electric vans to make last-mile deliveries to customers in California.

The trucks Amazon is adding to its fleet are battery-electric Volvo VNRs that can travel up to 275 miles per charge with a gross weight of 82,000 pounds. To recharge them, Amazon has installed more than 45 fast chargers at 11 sites.

The Seattle-based retail giant, which started using EVs in some of its operations in 2019, has set a goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. It currently operates 140 electric trucks and 13,500 electric vans nationally.

In California, it is involved with 58 renewable energy projects to help reach its goal of matching 100% of its electricity usage with renewable energy by 2025.

“California continues to lead the way in setting world-leading climate goals. No other state has created the kind of environment where Amazon and other businesses can lead on sustainability and take major steps forward like deploying this fleet of electric trucks,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “California’s climate action continues powering our economy and creating jobs.”

Several other large retailers are also using electric semis in California, where the state has mandated that half of all heavy-duty trucks sold be fully electric by 2035. PepsiCo, Walmart and Costco are all using Tesla Semis. UPS and Sysco are among 55 companies using Daimler Trucks’ Freightliner eCascadia.