A software update to some Amazon delivery vehicles is automatically turning off the air conditioning after a few seconds if the driver is not in their seat, according to multiple Amazon delivery drivers who are complaining about the update online. 

According to Amazon delivery drivers, the new update is for the Amazon EDV (electric delivery vehicle), the custom-built Rivian van. Delivery drivers say that this update automatically turns off the air conditioning in the van if the driver is not in the vehicle for more than 30 seconds. Drivers are complaining about the update as the start of the summer season, which can be particularly difficult and dangerous for delivery drivers. 

“As many of you are aware, the EDVs just got a software update where if you are out of your seat for 30 seconds with the side door open, the AC switches off,” one Amazon delivery driver said in an online forum for drivers. “We all hate this obviously.”  

When reached for comment an Amazon spokesperson said that the premise of my questions to the company was inaccurate, but conceded that the van will turn off the AC after 30 seconds under certain conditions that are commonplace during Amazon delivery shifts.  

“Rivian recently released a software update for Electric Delivery Vehicles that actually extends climate control for drivers,” the Amazon spokesperson said. “As a result, the AC now runs for up to 10 minutes after a driver exits the vehicle, ensuring a cool cabin when they return. The timer resets at every stop. The AC only shuts off if the driver sliding door is left open for more than 30 seconds — a battery conservation measure.” 

Amazon delivery drivers discussing the update online say that they are getting in and out of the van so frequently, and are spending most of their time out of the van delivering packages, that the update makes it harder to keep the van cool. 

“Thing is we are up and about waaaay longer than we are driving so the ac turns off and when it turns on again we are already getting up before im the air is even cold,” one driver said. “It effectively made the ac not work and those vans get hot as fuuuck.”

"Every Amazon-branded vehicle is air-conditioned—a feature that exceeds the industry standard—and if the air-conditioning isn’t working in a vehicle, that vehicle is taken out of service immediately," the Amazon spokesperson said. "They also have cooling seats for drivers. This update was intentionally timed ahead of summer to improve driver comfort during the hottest months of the year. Driver safety and comfort in extreme temperatures remains a priority. If drivers have questions about this change, they should touch base with the DSP they work for - as details about this change were shared with them."

Older delivery trucks may not have air conditioning or have air conditioning that breaks often. Delivery drivers for UPS, who are represented by the Teamsters union, negotiated a heat safety agreement with the company in 2023. Amazon has publicly outlined its strategy for keeping all its workers, including delivery drivers, safe during the heat, including using an app to ask drivers to take 10-minute break from the heat by resting in a cool place and drinking water, but Amazon delivery drivers are managed by a nationwide network of subcontractors who drivers say don’t always maintain those standards. 

As you’ve probably seen in your own neighborhood, delivery drivers will often park their vans wherever they can and deliver packages to multiple addresses on the same block. Amazon automatically turning off the air conditioning while they are out of the van delivering packages means the van can get hot again by the time they get back. As Amazon delivery drivers have to make frequent stops, it’s not hard to imagine why drivers would complain about Amazon automatically shutting down the AC, which makes it more difficult to cool down between stops.