The electrification of transportation depends not only on incorporating electric vehicles. Having the charging infrastructure ready is an essential condition for putting them into operation and one of the challenges Amazon faced this year during the deployment of new units in Mexico.
Claire Parrod, Amazon’s Senior Manager of Sustainability Programs for Operations Mexico, explained that one of the main lessons learned from this process is the need to have charging infrastructure in place before acquiring or leasing electric vehicles.
The challenge was particularly evident in Mexico City , where the units were ready to begin operating, but the necessary work for the charging infrastructure was delayed during the rainy season.
This caused a mismatch between two elements that must advance in a coordinated manner: the availability of vehicles and the infrastructure needed to recharge them .
Infrastructure must come first
During 2026, the company is adding 50 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter electric vans for last-mile delivery operations in Mexico City and Monterrey, distributed across three delivery stations. During the Q&A session, Amazon clarified that these vehicles belong to its own fleet.
Within a half-mile radius , the electric operation exceeds 70 units , more than half of which are heavy vehicles. With this fleet, approximately 13% of Amazon’s half-mile routes in Mexico are fully electric .
But scaling up this operation requires conditions that go beyond the availability of vehicles.
“Electrifying freight transport is something we cannot do alone,” said Parrod, who pointed out that progress requires freight infrastructure, financing, and market conditions that support the transition.
Planning, key to deploying the infrastructure
This year’s experience led Amazon to adjust its approach to planning the incorporation of electric vehicles. Parrod indicated that one of the lessons learned was the need to have the chargers ready before purchasing or leasing the vehicles , since their installation can face factors that delay the fleet’s entry into operation.
In the case of Mexico City, the difficulties in completing the civil works during the rainy season showed that the deployment of electromobility also depends on the time needed to enable the infrastructure.
For Amazon, the lesson is to incorporate this variable from the planning stage: it is not enough to define when electric vehicles will arrive; it is also necessary to anticipate when the infrastructure that will allow them to operate will be available.
According to Electro Mobility Association (EMA) , in Mexico there are 8,487 corporate charging stations, 3,665 public stations and 39,708 in homes, which advances the infrastructure for charging electric vehicles.
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