Amazon Electric Vans Run on Diesel Generators
Amazon’s electric vans are being recharged with diesel generators, exposing a lack of charging infrastructure and contradicting zero-emission claims.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Electric vehicles supported by diesel generators
A diesel generator powering Amazon delivery vans. The image, shared as proof of the contradiction in 'zero-emission' transport, highlights a key issue: fleet electrification is advancing faster than the supporting infrastructure. This Amazon case is not isolated; in Madrid, Voltio electric rental cars are recharged overnight using a diesel generator-equipped van, according to witnesses. This pattern repeats in urban car-sharing services.
The paradox lies not in the generator, but in the narrative. What is sold as an ecological transition is, in practice, a logistical patch to keep operations running when infrastructure is lacking. Some argue that the electricity powering these vehicles does not come 10% from solar panels or wind turbines, but from burning uranium, coal, gas, or diesel. Hydroelectric power is cited as the only renewable source resilient enough to operate independently of weather conditions.
How much diesel remains and why are cars banned in cities?
The discussion has shifted to supply. Some claim diesel is scarce since peak production in 2018, and municipal bans aim to destroy demand to ease a shrinking supply. Supporting this is a January news item: Brussels links the fifth payment of the Next Generation EU funds to the Spanish government approving a steep diesel tax. The ban on driving old diesel vehicles in most European cities—including Palma de Mallorca, where hundreds of cars have ended up in scrapyards without owners being able to afford replacements—aligns with this thesis.
Conversely, the skeptical argument: smoking is also banned on terraces, yet tobacco is not disappearing. The ban proves political will, not scarcity. This exchange leaves an uncomfortable fact for both sides: if diesel were abundant, there would be no reason to subsidize its replacement with conditional European funds.
The real problem: the charging power of an entire fleet
The technical bottleneck appears when calculating the power needed to simultaneously charge a fleet of vans. This calculation, which yields figures that would strain any distribution network for a logistics hub, explains why mobile generators are used instead of fixed connections. Electric technology is not obsolete, but the required infrastructure arrives too late.
Some argue that a centralized generator is more efficient and cleaner than six diesel engines spread across six vans. Others counter that this is cheating: the efficiency gained from a fixed engine is lost in electrical conversions and charging. The lingering question is what pollution regulation this generator complies with: whether it has particle filters, urea, or SCR systems. If such devices must be invented, the electric vehicle may not be suitable for this function.
Electric cars as niche vehicles
The broader consensus points to the same conclusion: electricity works well in cities, for small passenger cars and short trips that last a day and charge overnight without issues. For interurban freight transport, diesel or natural gas remain more practical and energy-efficient. Some ironically note that the plug-in diesel hybrid is the 'plug-in diesel of all time.'
The alternative proposed by degrowth advocates is different: fewer vehicles in circulation and fewer kilometers traveled. Before cars, people had motorcycles. And if times get tough, one can always convert a van and live in it. There is no bad that does not bring some good.
Biomass as the next patch
The next emergency solution pointed to is biomass: post-war gasogenes, adapted. A fuel already used when there was no other option, returning to the imagination when supply tightens. A warning from a well-known analyst, known for his alerts on resource depletion and his current insistence on the Gulf Stream shutdown, is cited as support that the problem is not just about cars.
Meanwhile, the electric fleet continues to circulate. And the generator, too.
How long can an ecological narrative be sustained on infrastructure that does not exist?
A diesel generator powering Amazon delivery vans. The image, shared as proof of the contradiction in 'zero-emission' transport, highlights a key issue: fleet electrification is advancing faster than the supporting infrastructure. This Amazon case is not isolated; in Madrid, Voltio electric rental cars are recharged overnight using a diesel generator-equipped van, according to witnesses. This pattern repeats in urban car-sharing services.
The paradox lies not in the generator, but in the narrative. What is sold as an ecological transition is, in practice, a logistical patch to keep operations running when infrastructure is lacking. Some argue that the electricity powering these vehicles does not come 10% from solar panels or wind turbines, but from burning uranium, coal, gas, or diesel. Hydroelectric power is cited as the only renewable source resilient enough to operate independently of weather conditions.
How much diesel remains and why are cars banned in cities?
The discussion has shifted to supply. Some claim diesel is scarce since peak production in 2018, and municipal bans aim to destroy demand to ease a shrinking supply. Supporting this is a January news item: Brussels links the fifth payment of the Next Generation EU funds to the Spanish government approving a steep diesel tax. The ban on driving old diesel vehicles in most European cities—including Palma de Mallorca, where hundreds of cars have ended up in scrapyards without owners being able to afford replacements—aligns with this thesis.
Conversely, the skeptical argument: smoking is also banned on terraces, yet tobacco is not disappearing. The ban proves political will, not scarcity. This exchange leaves an uncomfortable fact for both sides: if diesel were abundant, there would be no reason to subsidize its replacement with conditional European funds.
The real problem: the charging power of an entire fleet
The technical bottleneck appears when calculating the power needed to simultaneously charge a fleet of vans. This calculation, which yields figures that would strain any distribution network for a logistics hub, explains why mobile generators are used instead of fixed connections. Electric technology is not obsolete, but the required infrastructure arrives too late.
Some argue that a centralized generator is more efficient and cleaner than six diesel engines spread across six vans. Others counter that this is cheating: the efficiency gained from a fixed engine is lost in electrical conversions and charging. The lingering question is what pollution regulation this generator complies with: whether it has particle filters, urea, or SCR systems. If such devices must be invented, the electric vehicle may not be suitable for this function.
Electric cars as niche vehicles
The broader consensus points to the same conclusion: electricity works well in cities, for small passenger cars and short trips that last a day and charge overnight without issues. For interurban freight transport, diesel or natural gas remain more practical and energy-efficient. Some ironically note that the plug-in diesel hybrid is the 'plug-in diesel of all time.'
The alternative proposed by degrowth advocates is different: fewer vehicles in circulation and fewer kilometers traveled. Before cars, people had motorcycles. And if times get tough, one can always convert a van and live in it. There is no bad that does not bring some good.
Biomass as the next patch
The next emergency solution pointed to is biomass: post-war gasogenes, adapted. A fuel already used when there was no other option, returning to the imagination when supply tightens. A warning from a well-known analyst, known for his alerts on resource depletion and his current insistence on the Gulf Stream shutdown, is cited as support that the problem is not just about cars.
Meanwhile, the electric fleet continues to circulate. And the generator, too.
How long can an ecological narrative be sustained on infrastructure that does not exist?
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (113 replies).
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