A senior executive announced on Tuesday that Amazon's electric vehicle (EV) fleet in India is projected to exceed 20,000 units within the next year, up from the current more than 15,000. As part of this expansion, the company is working to develop electric freight transport and charging infrastructure.
The e-commerce giant is collaborating with vehicle manufacturers and financial partners to make electric vehicles economically viable for its delivery service. Furthermore, the company is improving the utilization efficiency of its existing vehicles by enhancing route planning.
Abhinav Singh, Vice President of Operations for APAC, Middle East, Africa, and Turkey at Amazon, stated in an interview with Business Standard that the current fleet comprises 15,000 electric vehicles and expects it to be significantly above 20,000 by next year. He emphasized that this is a projection, not an official target. Previously, Amazon had achieved its initial goal of 10,000 electric vehicles by 2024, ahead of the 2025 deadline.
Singh made these statements against the backdrop of Amazon's announcement on Tuesday regarding its intention to deploy 3,000 electric trucks in partnership with Tata Motors over three years. In this arrangement, the vehicles will be owned and operated by Amazon's partners (third-party companies), while Amazon will provide the freight demand and interact with manufacturers and financial companies to support this deployment.
According to Singh, although the initial cost of electric vehicles is 20–25 percent higher than traditional diesel vehicles, their daily operating costs are 10–15 percent lower. He noted that the economic efficiency improves when trucks carry cargo over longer distances instead of making empty runs or idling.
Amazon aims to optimize transport usage by consolidating multiple deliveries and routes. The company has already installed 10 charging stations across India, including locations near major logistics hubs in Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, and Jaipur. According to Singh, each such station can simultaneously charge 35 trucks.
Charging time ranges from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours, depending on the battery size and the vehicle itself. Amazon plans to scale up infrastructure according to freight demand rather than following a fixed target for the number of charging stations. Singh explained that the approach to increasing charging capacity depends on where 'mathematical correctness can be achieved,' assessing whether there is enough freight and return cargo demand on routes to make electric trucks viable.
The company is also developing electric trucks specifically designed for e-commerce goods in collaboration with Tata Motors. Singh noted that e-commerce shipments often have large volumes but relatively small weights, making the available space inside the container important. The companies are working on vehicle configurations, battery sizes, and ranges suitable for various transport tasks.
Additionally, Amazon and Tata Motors are creating a larger 32-foot truck variant that includes a dedicated sleeping area for a second driver, separated from the cabin. Singh reported that they are 'inventing a completely different cabin together' to ensure driver safety and provide necessary rest. Amazon is also collaborating with Tata Motors on dual-axle configurations for operations requiring the transport of heavier loads.
Singh specified that Amazon invested approximately 2,800 crore rupees this year in network and operations expansion, in addition to over 2,000 crore rupees in the previous year. Total investments over two years amount to nearly 5,000 crore rupees, and he clarified that this figure includes operational activities of the fleet, not just costs for electric vehicles or charging infrastructure.
Amazon also utilizes railways and biofuels to reduce transportation emissions. According to Singh, rail transport generates about one-third of the carbon emissions per ton compared to road transport. The company began working with Indian Railways in 2019 and now uses over 160 trains or routes, although it declined to disclose the volume of goods transported by rail.