Aug 28, 2020 - Energy & Environment

Amazon orders more than 1,800 new electric delivery vans

Photo: Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Amazon announced Friday it will add more than 1,800 battery-powered Mercedes-Benz vans in Europe this year, continuing its push toward electrification of its delivery fleet.

The big picture: Amazon is shipping more of its own products, relying less on major carriers, and the Mercedes purchase makes it clear the giant online retailer favors vehicles that will help remove greenhouse gases from its delivery fleet.

  • In 2019, Amazon announced The Climate Pledge to run a carbon neutral business by 2040.
  • Besides logging its largest electric vehicle order to date, Mercedes said it will also join the pledge.

Flashback: Last year, Amazon ordered 100,000 electric delivery vehicles from electric vehicle startup Rivian.

  • The first 10,000 Rivian vans are expected to start delivering Amazon packages in 2021 and all 100,000 vehicles will be on the road by 2030.

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Ina Fried, author of Login
10 hours ago - Technology

Amazon wants to flood America with Alexa cameras and microphones

Photo: Amazon

In a Thursday event unveiling a slew of new home devices ahead of the holidays, Amazon made clearer than ever its determination to flood America with cameras, microphones and the voice of Alexa, its AI assistant.

The big picture: Updating popular products and expanding its range to car alarms and in-home drones, Amazon extended its lead in smart home devices and moved into new areas including cloud gaming and car security. The new offerings will also fuel criticism that the tech giant is helping equip a society built around surveillance.

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Ina Fried, author of Login
Updated Sep 24, 2020 - Technology

Amazon launches new Alexa-enabled hardware

Amazon's new spherical Echo smart speaker. Screenshot: Axios

Amazon debuted a range of new Ring, Fire TV and Echo hardware on Thursday, including more environmentally sustainable versions of its audio and video gear. Among the products introduced are a cloud gaming service, a home monitoring drone and new spherical designs for its Echo and Echo dot smart speakers.

Why it matters: Amazon, like rivals Google and Apple, typically gives its consumer hardware a launch ahead of the holidays. Apple has already introduced new iPads, while Google has scheduled a Sept. 30 event, where it is expected to debut new audio and video gear, alongside updated Pixel phones.

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Joann Muller, author of Navigate
8 hours ago - Economy & Business

Eyeing the end of gas-powered cars

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

Gasoline-powered cars may be going the way of the woolly mammoth, even if it will take decades to replace them and seems hard to fathom today.

The big picture: Internal combustion engines (ICEs) have powered automobiles for more than 100 years. But the shift to electric vehicles, slow to materialize at first, is now accelerating due to tightening government policies, falling costs and a societal reckoning about climate change.

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