The United States Postal Service isn’t pinning all its electrification hopes on state-of-the-art mail delivery vehicles. the service has signed a contract to buy 9,250 Ford E-Transit electric vans, with the first units arriving in December. Delivery should be complete by the end of 2024, Ford add. The USPS is also placing pre-orders for more than 14,000 charging stations for its facilities across the country.
The USPS already plans to buy at least 60,000 of its next-generation delivery vehicles (NGDVs) by 2028, 75 percent of which will be electric. The Ford trucks are part of a further plan to buy 21,000 “off the shelf” electric vehicles. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy says this helps the USPS act quickly on a strategy that improves mail service and working conditions while keeping costs low for the self-sufficient agency. The total investment in the vehicle is expected to cost $9.6 billion, including $3 billion in financing thanks to the Cut Inflation Act.
The charging network may not grow as fast. The USPS expects to provide chargers to at least 75 locations within the next year, but does not estimate how this will expand in subsequent years.
The overall EV push represents a sharp break from initial plans. The USPS originally expected that most of its NGDV orders would be for gas trucks. The Biden administration fought that approach, alleging that the USPS under DeJoy ignored Environmental Protection Agency advice, refused public hearings, and relied on “skewed” estimates. The service defied management before caving in and switching most of its purchases to electric models.
The transition will play an important role in the government’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for itself and the country as a whole. The USPS represents the largest fleet of federal vehicles – your EV purchases will have a significant impact relative to other agencies.
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