Photo: Ford
The automotive industry is quickly becoming electrified. The trend is also reflected in the action of some governments across the globe. For instance, the United States Postal Service (USPS) announced it awarded new contracts to purchase 9,250 Ford E-Transit vans, as well as 14,000 EV charging stations. Let’s see how the Postal Service will electrify the nation’s largest federal fleet.
In December 2022, the Postal Service revealed its vehicle electrification strategy – the government agency intends to acquire a 75% electric fleet of NGDVs (Next Generation Delivery Vehicles) over the next five years. Starting in 2026, all newly purchased vehicles will be fully electric.
As part of the delivery vehicle replacement plan, USPS awarded a contract for 9,250 commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) electric vehicles, as there is an urgent need for vehicles. The exact locations for the deployment of the vehicles and the infrastructure have not been decided yet; they will depend on several factors, such as route characteristics and other business considerations.
The USPS will soon start building its charging infrastructure – within the next 12 months, the agency has planned to create at least 75 locations, and many other facilities will all roll off the assembly line in the upcoming years, as stated in the delivery vehicle electrification strategy.
The purpose of this electrification process isn’t only to reduce emissions and become more eco-friendly. Louis DeJoy, the Postmaster General, explained that the aim is also to improve USPS’s service, reduce costs, grow revenue, and, more importantly, improve the working environment for employees.
Delivery of the 9,250 Ford E-Transit BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles) is scheduled to begin in December 2023. They’re part of the 21,000 vehicles included in the Postal Services vehicle acquisition plan and will all roll off the assembly line in Kansas City, Missouri.
Tree suppliers were awarded the contracts for the purchase of over 14,000 charging stations, thus establishing the Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment inventory, which is basically the hardware and software needed to support EV charging at the facilities where the vehicles will operate.
As you can imagine, electrifying a fleet is a challenging feat, especially when we’re talking about America’s largest and oldest federal fleet. The USPS is fully committed to this transition and has continually analyzed its operational and infrastructure build-out capacity, financial position, including IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) funds, and vehicle mix deployment.
Based on its assessments, the Postal Service expects that the commitment of funds by 2028 for both the vehicles and the infrastructure will lead to a total of 66,230 electric delivery vehicles and an overall purchase of 106,000 delivery vehicles. Of course, such a drastic change requires immense financial power – the Postal Service’s total investment is expected to reach $9.6 billion, including $3 billion from IRA funds.
As part of the delivery vehicle replacement plan, USPS awarded a contract for 9,250 commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) electric vehicles, as there is an urgent need for vehicles. The exact locations for the deployment of the vehicles and the infrastructure have not been decided yet; they will depend on several factors, such as route characteristics and other business considerations.
The USPS will soon start building its charging infrastructure – within the next 12 months, the agency has planned to create at least 75 locations, and many other facilities will all roll off the assembly line in the upcoming years, as stated in the delivery vehicle electrification strategy.
The purpose of this electrification process isn’t only to reduce emissions and become more eco-friendly. Louis DeJoy, the Postmaster General, explained that the aim is also to improve USPS’s service, reduce costs, grow revenue, and, more importantly, improve the working environment for employees.
Delivery of the 9,250 Ford E-Transit BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles) is scheduled to begin in December 2023. They’re part of the 21,000 vehicles included in the Postal Services vehicle acquisition plan and will all roll off the assembly line in Kansas City, Missouri.
Tree suppliers were awarded the contracts for the purchase of over 14,000 charging stations, thus establishing the Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment inventory, which is basically the hardware and software needed to support EV charging at the facilities where the vehicles will operate.
As you can imagine, electrifying a fleet is a challenging feat, especially when we’re talking about America’s largest and oldest federal fleet. The USPS is fully committed to this transition and has continually analyzed its operational and infrastructure build-out capacity, financial position, including IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) funds, and vehicle mix deployment.
Based on its assessments, the Postal Service expects that the commitment of funds by 2028 for both the vehicles and the infrastructure will lead to a total of 66,230 electric delivery vehicles and an overall purchase of 106,000 delivery vehicles. Of course, such a drastic change requires immense financial power – the Postal Service’s total investment is expected to reach $9.6 billion, including $3 billion from IRA funds.
Google News