Amazon has placed the UK's biggest ever order of electric trucks.

The online retail giant has bought more than 140 electric Mercedes-Benz heavy goods vehicles and eight Volvo lorries to carry up to 40 tonnes of goods, as reported by The Guardian.

The new HGVs are set to hit the road in the next 18 months and Amazon will install fast chargepoints across its UK network to keep the fleet moving.

The move to electric logistics is partly funded by the government through its zero emission HGV and infrastructure demonstrator programme (ZEHID).

The retailer had hoped to have 700 electric HGVs on the road by 2025, but a lack of infrastructure, concerns about vehicle range and high costs have delayed the switch across the logistics industry. The Road Haulage Association says there are just 300 electric HGVs registered on UK roads, out of a total lorry fleet of 500,000.

Amazon aims to reach net zero carbon emissions across its operations by 2040.

It has just started its first large-scale deliveries by train. Containers of products are loaded onto cargo trains on the west coast mainline between Scotland and Midland, allowing 20m Amazon products a year to be transported by rail.

It has also launched deliveries on foot using heavy carts in central London, cutting van journeys in the congestion charge zone.

Amazon said it now covers more than 70% of the zone by electric vans, e-cargo bikes and deliveries on foot.