Amazon launches electric cargo bike deliveries in Norwich

This new hub features a fleet of electric cargo bikes poised to deliver thousands of packages weekly to Amazon customers, effectively reducing the reliance on traditional delivery vans, enhancing air quality, and easing city centre congestion.

Norwich now joins over 40 cities across the UK and Europe that host Amazon micromobility hubs, facilitating eco-friendly deliveries via electric cargo bikes and pedestrian couriers. This initiative is part of a £300 million investment aimed at electrifying and decarbonising Amazon’s UK transportation network, with the goal of millions of annual deliveries made by these sustainable methods.

“Our new electric cargo bikes are part of Amazon’s commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions across our operations by 2040, ten years ahead of the Paris Agreement. This is a proud moment for our team, and great news for customers across the city who will benefit from zero-emissions deliveries to their door,” said Connor Ashford, Senior Delivery Station Manager at Amazon in Norwich.

Danzen Logistics is a local courier company which provides delivery services to Amazon customers in Norwich. Dan Zenchuk, owner of Danzen Logistics said: “We are delighted to work with Amazon to bring this fleet of electric cargo bikes to Norwich. We think the electric cargo bikes are going to be a big hit with customers, while also supporting Amazon’s sustainability commitments, and providing additional delivery rider opportunities in the area.”

In addition to its own fleet, Amazon collaborates with a network of Delivery Service Partners (DSPs) – small and medium-sized courier businesses like Danzen Logistics. This partnership creates job opportunities for thousands of individuals who deliver packages to Amazon customers. Currently, Amazon and its partners operate over 1,000 electric delivery vans across the UK and Ireland, alongside nine fully electric heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), the first of their kind in Amazon’s fleet, which have replaced conventional lorries.

Amazon is a pioneer in the fight against climate change, being the co-founder and first signatory of The Climate Pledge, a commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. With 500 signatories, including more than 100 from the UK, the organisations under The Climate Pledge are collectively working on initiatives to preserve the environment and invest in decarbonising technologies.

In 2023, Amazon matched 100% of the electricity consumed by its operations, including data centres, with renewable energy, achieving this milestone seven years ahead of its 2030 goal. As the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy globally and in the UK, Amazon operates 29 on-site solar projects and has enabled seven large-scale offsite renewable energy projects, contributing more than 900MW of capacity in the UK alone.

Once fully operational, these projects are expected to generate enough energy to power over one million UK homes annually. Among these are power purchase agreements with a wind farm in Ballykeel, Co Antrim, the Moray West Offshore Windfarm in Scotland, and the East Anglia THREE offshore wind farm in Suffolk. The latter, once operational, will generate sufficient clean electricity to power 1.3 million British homes, making it the second-largest offshore wind farm globally.

Amazon’s delivery stations, pivotal in the last mile of its order fulfilment process, expedite deliveries to customers. The Norwich delivery station, which opened in September 2016, employs over a hundred permanent staff members responsible for processing customer orders. Starting pay for employees at this station is £12.30 per hour, supplemented by a comprehensive benefits package that includes private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection, and employee discounts.

Since 2010, Amazon has invested over £2.1 billion in East Anglia, supporting more than 3,000 small and medium-sized businesses in the region that sell on the Amazon platform. This ongoing investment underscores Amazon’s commitment to the region's economic growth and its drive towards a more sustainable future.