The United States Postal Service is not pinning all hopes on the electrification of next-generation mail delivery vehicles. The service has signed a contract to purchase 9,250 Ford E-Transit electric vans, with the first units arriving in December. The handover should be completed by the end of 2024, Ford added. The USPS has also placed early orders for more than 14,000 charging stations for its facilities across the country.
The USPS already plans to purchase at least 60,000 of its Next Generation Delivery Vehicles (NGDV) by the year 2028, of which 75 percent will be electric. The Ford vans are part of an additional plan to buy 21,000 “off-the-shelf” EVs. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy says this will help the USPS move quickly on a strategy that improves postal service and working conditions while lowering costs for the self-sufficient agency. The total investment in the vehicle is expected to cost $9.6 billion, including $3 billion in funding thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act.
The charging network may not grow as quickly. The USPS expects to provide chargers in at least 75 locations next year, but has not estimated how it will expand in subsequent years.
The overall EV push represents a sharp break from early plans. The USPS originally expected most of its NGDV orders to be for gas-based trucks. The Biden administration has fought that approach, claiming that the USPS under DeJoy ignored the advice of the Environmental Protection Agency, rejected public hearings and relied on “biased” estimates. The service challenged the administration before the move and switched most of its purchases to electric models.
The transition plays an important part in the government’s plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions for itself and the country as a whole. The USPS represents the largest federal vehicle vendor – EV purchases have a significant impact relative to other agencies.
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