U.S. Postal Service to boost electric delivery vehicle purchases

By David Shepardson

– The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mentioned Wednesday it plans to purchase at the very least 25,000 electrical supply automobiles – greater than twice its prior estimate – as it really works to switch an getting older fleet.

USPS informed Reuters it's proposing to buy at the very least 25,000 EVs out of its preliminary order of fifty,000 next-generation supply automobiles from Oshkosh Protection. That’s up from USPS‘ prior plan to purchase at the very least 10,019 EVs, or about 20% of the primary order. USPS additionally plans to purchase greater than 34,500 business off-the-shelf supply automobiles over two years.

The corporate plans to purchase as much as 20,000 left-hand drive Industrial Off-the-Shelf automobiles, “together with as many BEVs as are commercially out there and in keeping with our supply profile” and as much as 14,500 gas-powered right-hand drive automobiles.

In complete, USPS says at the very least 40% of the 84,500 automobiles it would purchase shall be EVs.

USPS introduced in March it deliberate an preliminary $2.98 billion order. Final month, the corporate informed Reuters it anticipated to lift the variety of EVs because it supplemented its environmental influence assertion (EIS).

In April, 16 states, 4 environmental teams and the United Auto Employees filed lawsuits looking for to dam USPS‘s plan to purchase principally gas-powered next-generation supply automobiles, arguing that the company did not adjust to environmental rules when it issued its EIS.

The White Home and Environmental Safety Company additionally requested USPS to rethink, as did many lawmakers.

USPS mentioned it would “additionally have to make important funding within the restore of over 50,000 getting older” supply automobiles “annually to proceed extending their helpful life, regardless of the numerous operational danger, appreciable upkeep prices, and the upper emissions of greenhouse gases.”

It “anticipates evaluating and procuring smaller portions of automobiles over shorter time intervals. ..to be able to be extra conscious of our evolving operational technique, know-how enhancements, and altering market situations,” the corporate mentioned.