Mercedes gets big electric van order from Amazon

BERLIN (AP) — Amazon says it’s buying 1,800 electric delivery vans from Mercedes-Benz, the biggest such order for the German automaker to date. Mercedes said Friday it will also join a climate initiative established by Amazon’s founder Jeff Bezos, committing itself to going completely carbon neutral by 2039. The transport sector, including the surge in deliveries from online retailers like Amazon, is a major source of man-made carbon emissions blamed for climate change. Amazon’s order with Mercedes is dwarfed by a contract it signed last year with U.S. start-up Rivian to deliver 100,000 electric delivery vans by 2030. Daimler said the order comprises more than 1,200 large eSprinter vans and about 600 medium-sized eVito vehicles. Delivery will begin later this year.