Amazon ordered 100,000 electric vans, is not switching deliveries to diesel | Fact check
The claim: Amazon converted its electric delivery fleet to diesel fuel
A Dec. 11 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows an image of dozens of parked Amazon vans.
“Amazon converts fleet back to diesel as electric doesn’t work,” reads text included in the post.
It was shared more than 100 times in less than a week. Similar versions of the claim accumulated hundreds of additional shares.
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Our rating: False
An Amazon spokesperson said the claim is false. The company ordered 100,000 electric vehicles in 2019 and has 10,000 currently in use. There is no evidence it is converting any of the vehicles to operate on diesel fuel.
Amazon committed to electric vehicles
Amazon has been vocal about its desire to combat climate change. The online giant partnered with truck manufacturer Rivian to produce custom electric delivery vans and ordered 100,000 in 2019. It said there are thousands already in use. The company set a goal of reaching net zero in carbon emissions by 2040.
The company is not abandoning those plans. The claim that it is converting part of its electric fleet to diesel is false, Amazon spokesperson Steve Kelly told Paste BN in an email.
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There are no credible news reports about the company making such a move. Rather, all indications point to the company moving forward with electric delivery vehicles.
Amazon led Rivian’s $700 million funding round as part of its push for renewable energy in 2019 and is the largest shareholder of the electric truck startup, owning a 17% stake, according to the trade publication Transport Topics.
The custom electric vans began rolling out in 2022, and Amazon said in July it had more than 5,000 electric vehicles in its fleet. That total doubled three months later, with the retailer saying on Oct. 17 that its count surpassed 10,000. The company plans to have 100,000 electric vans in use by 2030.
Amazon has been the target of several false claims debunked by Paste BN, including those baselessly asserting the retailer sprays its boxes with chemicals toxic to cats and that it is paying an hourly wage of $47 for overnight shift work.
Paste BN reached out to the social media users who shared the post but did not immediately receive responses.
Our fact-check sources:
- Steve Kelly, Dec. 13, Email exchange with Paste BN
- Amazon, accessed Dec. 13, Transportation
- Amazon News, July 6, X post
- Amazon, Oct. 17, Everything you need to know about Amazon’s electric delivery vans from Rivian
- Ars Technica, Dec. 17, 2019, Electric truck startup announces $700 million funding round led by Amazon
- Transport Topics, July 6, Amazon Fleet Electrification Sees 5,000 Rivian Vans on Roads
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