The United States Postal Service has announced that it expects to gain at least 66,000 battery electric delivery vehicles as part of its 106,000-vehicle acquisition plan for deliveries between now and 2028. The vehicles will plan to replace the postal service delivery fleet of over 22,000 vehicles.
The Postal Service anticipates at least 60,000 Next Generation Delivery Vehicles (NGDV), of which at least 75% (45,000) will be battery electric.
As part of this plan, a total of 21,000 additional commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) vehicles are also expected to be battery electric, depending on market availability and operational feasibility, states the press release. The Postal Service also anticipates including internal combustion vehicles necessary to meet immediate vehicle replacement needs.
The announcement is a step forward for the Postal Service’s modernisation efforts which will allow for more rapid deployments of EVs and improving financial condition which includes $3 billion in congressional funding appropriated under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy commented, “We have a statutory requirement to deliver mail and packages to 163 million addresses six days per week and to cover our costs in doing so – that is our mission. As I have said in the past, if we can achieve those objectives in a more environmentally responsible way, we will do so. The Postal Service’s vehicle initiative, and I personally, have benefited from the collaborative spirit of John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President and leader of the Office of Energy Innovation, as well as leaders within the Council on Environmental Quality and the Climate Policy Office. These professionals have demonstrated a real appreciation and understanding for how vehicle electrification can be incorporated into the Postal Service’s mission and transformation, while not distracting from it. In our own way we have all been faithful stewards of how IRA funding and Postal funding will be spent.”
The Postal Service has said that it has been steadfastly committed to the fiscally responsible and mission capable roll-out of electric-powered vehicles for America’s largest and oldest federal fleet.
Press release: USPS
