2024 was big year for Amazon – in addition to becoming the first online retailer for Hyundai cars, the company kept busy putting a fleet of autonomous forklifts, order picking AI-powered robots, and a milestone 20,000th electric delivery van on the road.

Let’s start with the vans. Amazon recently reached milestone putting its 20,000th, AI-enhanced delivery van onto US roads.

Amazon famously partnered with Rivian to develop those vans, pouring serious money into a concept that (at the time) was little more than a sketch. Less than three years later, the vans were on the road, delivering kitty litter with free, 2-day shipping to customers who can’t be bothered to drag themselves to Costco – and it’s hard to argue with the vans’ success.

Amazon EVs are everywhere

To date, Amazon vans from Rivian have delivered nearly a billion packages to customers in the US. Amazon plans to rollout 100,000+ delivery van fleet by 2030.

On the warehouse side, the autonomous forklift market is experiencing remarkable growth, and is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.4%, putting the self-driving forklift market at something like $12.5 billion by 2034 with the 2-4 ton segment making up about 53% of total revenue.

Like the Fox Robotics forklifts used at arch-rival Walmart’s warehouses, the autonomous forklifts in use at Amazon’s smart warehouses are equipped with advanced sensors to help them navigate the complex warehouse environments and perform critical tasks.

Despite the higher up-front costs of autonomous forklifts, they can offer companies like Amazon long-term benefits. As EV Magazine writes:

In Amazon’s fulfillment centers, autonomous forklifts play a key role in optimizing the flow of goods. By reducing the reliance on manual labour, they minimize human error, enhance precision in material handling and enable faster order processing … the forklifts operate continuously without breaks, increasing productivity and ensuring swift and efficient customer order fulfillment.

STELLA NOLAN, EV MAGAZINE

Amazon entered into a seven-year agreement with Balyo, a French company that manufactures autonomous forklifts based on Yale and Hyster models, back in 2019. At the time, Supply Chain Dive reported that the deal could be worth some $346 million and see the online retailer acquire 29% of the robotics firm’s stock.

Electrek’s Take

It seems strange to be discussing robotic forklifts just a few short weeks after reporting on VW and Audi threatening to shut down factories.

That said, we’re a long way from the days when Sam Walton would come on TV to talk about Walmart being the place to shop for “Made in America” products, too. But, while it’s easy enough to dismiss Amazon’s automation efforts as anti-labor, the reality is far more complicated as a nationwide operator shortage continues to impact logistics and construction.

SOURCES: EV Magazine, Supply Chain Dive, the Buzz, Market Research Future.

International shipping giants DHL partnered with autonomous software company Oxa to deploy a self-driving car in live airport traffic at Heathrow, safely completing more than 800 miles of fully autonomous driving in just 14 days.

DHL has been a leader in decarbonization and new technology for years, and have maintained a Strategic Partnership with London Heathrow Airport since 2020, with the company providing baggage logistics and other support services. The project with Oxa, then, is part of a bid to use autonomy to optimize airside operations and improve efficiency across the inter-terminal baggage transfer service.

“There are huge opportunities to modernize airport supply chains with intelligent, self-driving vehicles that improve the entire customer experience,” explains Gavin Jackson, CEO of Oxa. “We are delighted to partner with DHL in order to support the use of autonomous vehicles within airside operations at Heathrow and around the world – working towards fully automated (airport) logistics at scale.”

This initial proof-of-concept was conducted using an automated Ford sedan, but with a view to ultimately utilizing vehicle platforms more suitable for baggage transfer including electric vans like the Ford E-Transit and electrified ground handling equipment.

“Our vision is to be an extraordinary airport fit for the future. Having experienced this innovative and sustainable project first hand, I’m confident collaborations like this with our strategic partner DHL, and their partner Oxa, will help us realize our ambition,” says Nigel Milton, Chief Communications and Sustainability Officer, London Heathrow. “The future of airport operations requires advancements which will enhance efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and support increased capacity. This project is an exciting proof point of the progress that will make every journey at Heathrow better.”

Electrek’s Take

As I’ve said before: with the short distances driven at limited speeds under extreme loads, GHE and shuttles at airports present an ideal use case for electric vehicles. That’s good, because as demand for on-road fossil fuels drops, airports and airlines – historically responsible for about 4% Earth’s global warming – are comprising a bigger slice of a shrinking pie when it comes to fossil fuel emissions.

With their enclosed, repetitive, and controlled routes, airports are also an ideal use case for autonomous – and it’s great to see our friends in the UK giving it a shot.

SOURCE | IMAGES: DHL.

A Tesla Cybertruck caught on fire in the lot of a Tesla store in North Decatur, Georgia, near Atlanta. The local fire authorities suspect a battery fire.

The incident went mostly unreported because it happened just a few hours before the highly publicized Cybertruck explosion in front of the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas on January 1st.

While the Las Vegas accident involved firework-like explosives in the back of the Cybertruck and was likely intentional, foul play is not suspected in this other incident.

It happened in the early hours of December 31st at the Tesla store on Church Street in Decatur, Georgia.

The fire was quickly extinguished, but not before it destroyed the entire interior of the vehicle as well as the bed and the tires.

Here are some images of the aftermath from Atlanta News First:

The local news reported that the fire authorities believe the battery pack started the fire, but it is still under investigation.

As we have previously reported, there have been a few other instances of Cybertrucks catching on fire in the last few months, but it was after crashes.

The Cybertruck explosion yesterday appears to have been foul play – although the situation is still under investigation.

Electric vehicle batteries can sometimes catch on fire, but statistically, they don’t catch on fire at a higher rate than fossil fuel-powered vehicles.

We recently reported that Tesla is having an issue with the Cybertruck’s battery pack. Tesla has referred to the problem as “cell dent.” Tesla is having to replace battery packs in many Cybertrucks, including some sitting at its lots, but there’s no evidence that this issue is linked this specific fire at this time.

Tesla has yet to issue a service bulletin or recall about this issue despite changing the battery pack of a few customers over it.