Amazon has given a preview of the design for 100,000 new electric delivery vans, as the e-commerce giant focusses on building the world’s most sustainable transportation fleet.

A video published to the Amazon news channel showed clay models of the custom-designed van, produced by electric vehicle (EV) startup Rivian. The blue vehicle will feature Alexa integration with voice commands to help drivers finds packages in the van and central screen with a digital instrument cluster.

Amazon announced in September that it had ordered the EVs as part of plans to phase out petrol delivery vans and lower the carbon footprint of its worldwide shipping and delivery network.

Rivian is planning to build three different sizes of Amazon van, with the first vehicles set to be rolled out in US cities in 2021. The company is aiming to roll out 10,000 Amazon delivery vehicles by 2022 and the full 100,000 vans by 2030.

Amazon led a $700 million funding round in Rivian, a Michigan-based startup, in February last year. The EV producer has also landed a $500 million strategic investment from For, which will work with Rivian to produce its own electric vehicle range.

Ross Rachey, Amazon’s director of global last-mile fleet, said: “We’re trying to build the most sustainable transportation fleet in the world, it also needs to be the most functional, the highest performing, the safest.

“If we displace those gasoline vehicles with an electric vehicle, it would be a large step forward in making our package delivery business sustainable and that has a positive impact on the environment, that’s taking a leading role in sustainability.”

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