Amazon announced today an agreement with low-carbon fuel manufacturer Infinium. Its goal is to start supplying Amazon's transportation fleet with ultra-low carbon emissions electric fuels from 2023. The partnership is another step in the tech giant's path towards limiting rising carbon emissions.
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Infinium is expected to initially supply several electrofuels, which are an alternative fuel solution based on mineral fuels produced from coal waste and renewable energy sources.
Infinium will provide enough diesel substitute to power about 5 million miles of travel each year. The electrofuel will be used in Southern California to power Amazon’s “middle-mile fleet,” which includes long-haul trucks that transport customer orders from its sellers and fulfillment centers to facilities used to sort and ship items for delivery.
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The company did not specify how much of the fuel usage the agreement represents. But Daniel Gross, director of Amazon's Climate Pledge Fund, described the 5 million miles as a «very significant number».
«This is really just the beginning of our relationship with Infinium», Gross told GeekWire, «as well as the start of using electronic fuels as well as other alternative diesel».».
Three years ago, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announced The Climate Pledge, a commitment by the company to achieve carbon by 2040. More than 375 companies around the world have since signed the pledge.
The research, however, shows that companies are struggling to make progress toward these and other climate goals. Amazon itself has seen steady growth in its carbon footprint, although its emissions intensity – the amount of carbon released relative to the gross revenue it generated – is declining.
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The fuel is estimated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 95% compared to diesel produced from fossil fuels, Infinium said.
While not carbon-free, Amazon is pleased with the carbon reduction that electrofuels provide and the fact that they can be used in the company's existing fleet without any changes to the engines, Gross said.
Information source: geekwire.com
