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You may soon see an electric vehicle in your driveway, whether or not you want it. In fact, you may see one soon showing up on your curb.

Gas-Powered Fleets With Electric or Low-Emission Vehicles

In fact, top delivery companies are beginning to replace their gas-powered fleets with electric or low-emission vehicles. This is a major switch that companies believe will push up their bottom lines. At the same time, they can tackle climate change and urban pollution.

UPS and Amazon are Big Players in the Electric Delivery Vehicle Arena

An order for 10,000 electric delivery vehicles has been placed by UPS. The start-up Rivian has 100,000 vehicles that Amazon is buying. Zero-emission vehicles from DHL make up a fifth of its fleet, with more to come, the company says.

Replacing 100% of its pickup and delivery fleet with battery-powered vehicles by 2040 is what FedEx is pledging.

(There are smaller electric ambitions by the U.S. Postal Service. They are only committing to go electric with 10% of their new delivery trucks. Some lawmakers are crying foul over those purchasing plans over that decision).

“The inflection point for scalability has just started,” Mitch Jackson, the chief sustainability officer for FedEx, said.

For companies like FedEx, switching over to electric vehicles for shorter distances is more logical.

Delivery Vehicles Are More Adaptable to the Electrical Conversion

Thus, compared to the 18-wheelers that carry packages between states, delivery vehicles—often vans and smaller trucks—are easier to electrify with the present battery technology, which provides enough range for several routes. The companies also have a lot of charging time.

It’s the “ideal situation,” as Jackson calls it.

“Our vehicles operate throughout the day. They pick up and deliver our customers goods,” Jackson says. “Then, in the evening, they come around back to our stations. Then, they’ll be parked there overnight.”