Amazon to bring low-carbon electrofuels to its trucking fleet

Photo: © Marcos del Mazo | Dreamstime.com

PRESS RELEASE

SEATTLE—Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) has signed an agreement with renewable fuels technology company Infinium to begin powering Amazon’s transportation fleet with ultra-low carbon electrofuels beginning in 2023. Infinium is expected to initially supply enough electrofuels, which are a fossil-based fuel alternative created with carbon waste and renewable power, to begin powering Amazon trucks in lieu of diesel fuel for approximately 5 million miles of travel per year.

The agreement is another step forward in Amazon’s commitment to transition its transportation network away from fossil fuels and deliver packages to customers in more sustainable ways. Amazon plans to initially use the electrofuels in trucks in its middle mile fleet in Southern California, where the trucks are expected to help serve millions of customers. Amazon’s middle mile fleet is responsible for moving customer orders from its vendors and fulfillment centers to its network of sortation and delivery stations.

According to the United Nations, the transportation sector currently accounts for approximately 25% of all carbon emissions globally, and Infinium is working to change that by developing ultra-low carbon fuels that can easily be used to power cargo trucks, airplanes, and marine freight without engine modifications.

To start, Infinium plans to build one of the world’s first electrofuels-production facilities in Texas. The facility will use renewable-power-generated green hydrogen and approximately 18,000 tons of recycled carbon waste per year—which would otherwise be released into the atmosphere—to create the electrofuels.

Amazon previously invested in Infinium through The Climate Pledge Fund, Amazon’s $2 billion venture investment program that specifically invests in companies building technologies, products, and services that can help Amazon and others accelerate the path toward net-zero carbon future. Amazon has announced investments in a total of 18 companies through The Climate Pledge Fund to date.

“Infinium’s electrofuels can help Amazon reduce carbon emissions across our transportation fleet, which is important to both us and our customers, and will help us move closer to our goal of net-zero carbon by 2040,” said Kara Hurst, vice president of Worldwide Sustainability at Amazon. “We’ve supported Infinium’s technology through our Climate Pledge Fund, and it’s exciting to see our investment turning into usable fuel that will help us, and others across the industry, decarbonize transportation in the long run.”

“Our agreement with Amazon to provide Infinium electrofuels for use in the company’s transportation network is a significant moment for all of us,” said Infinium CEO Robert Schuetzle. “We’ve been developing this technology for the better part of a decade, and we expect our electrofuels to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by approximately 95 percent over traditional fossil fuels. We’re thrilled to have the first fleet of Amazon trucks powered by electrofuels starting next year, which will mark the beginning of a major shift for the entire transportation sector.”

Amazon is committed to reaching net-zero carbon by 2040 as part of its commitment to The Climate Pledge, and will continue to take real business action to decarbonize its operations. Infinium is an example of how Amazon invested in new climate innovation, and the company will soon leverage its technology to help it reduce carbon emissions.

In addition to partnering with Infinium, Amazon has taken other significant steps toward net-zero carbon:

1. Amazon signed an agreement with Plug Power to supply 10,950 tons per year of green hydrogen for its transportation and building operations starting in 2025. Amazon will start to use green hydrogen to replace grey hydrogen, diesel, and other fossil fuels as it works to decarbonize its operations, and this green hydrogen supply contract will provide enough annual power for 30,000 forklifts or 800 heavy-duty trucks used in long-haul transportation.
2. Through The Climate Pledge Fund, Amazon invested in Electric Hydrogen and Sunfire, two of the most promising developers of electrolyzers, a key technology that makes emissions-free green hydrogen for use in heavy duty transportation.
3. Amazon has also ordered 100,000 electric delivery vehicles from Rivian, marking the largest order ever of electric delivery vehicles. Amazon’s custom electric delivery vehicles from Rivian started to hit the road this summer in the U.S., with thousands expected to be making deliveries in more than 100 major U.S. cities by the end of this year.