Hundreds of thousands of Amazon packages across Glasgow will soon be delivered by electric cargo bike following the expansion of the online retailing giant's "micromobility" delivery service into Scotland.
The company, which has committed to reaching net-zero by 2040, has today officially opened the new hub out of its existing Baillieston delivery station, our sister title The Herald reports.
It is part of a five-year investment in the electrification and decarbonisation of Amazon's UK transportation network, with electric cargo bikes and walkers expected to make approximately 2.5 million deliveries annually.
“With more than £300 million committed to electrifying and decarbonising our transportation network over the coming years, we remain laser focused on reaching net zero carbon by 2040,” said John Boumphrey, UK country manager for Amazon.
“The new hub in Glasgow will not only bring our Scottish customers more electric-powered deliveries, but also support the local authority in looking for ways to reduce congestion and find alternative transportation methods. We look forward to expanding our e-cargo bike fleet further in the months ahead.”
Amazon’s electric cargo bikes and on-foot deliveries are currently operational from hubs in more than 20 cities across the UK and Europe, with UK hubs in London and Manchester. The company has more than 1,000 electric delivery vans in operation in the UK roads, plus nine fully-electric heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).
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According to market research from BloombergNEF, Amazon bought 10.9 gigawatts of clean power in 2022, making it the largest corporate buyer of renewable power in the world and in the UK. The company says 90% of the electricity it consumed globally last year was powered by renewable sources such as wind and solar projects.
In Scotland, Amazon has wind farms at Beinn an Tuirc in Campbeltown, Argyll, and at Kennoxhead in South Lanarkshire. The company also buys 100% of the power from a 50MW output wind farm on the Kintyre Peninsula, which has been operational since 2021.
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