Photo: USPS
The USPS has announced it will have one of the largest EV fleets in the nation by 2028, as it will deploy over 66,000 EVs by then. The plan that made this happen is called Delivering for America, and it is a ten-year program to modernize the postal network. Thanks to funding from Congress, the initiative will move in high gear. The first such vehicles will hit the streets in late 2023.
Initially, the United States Postal Service will get a minimum of 60,000 Next Generation Delivery Vehicles by 2028, and at least 45,000 of those will be battery electric. Through 2028, the USPS will purchase an additional 21,000 EVs, which will be a mix of commercially available models, not NGDVs.
All acquisitions made by the USPS that will be delivered from 2026 to 2028 are expected to be 100% electric. In the long term, the USPS is exploring ways to obtain 100% electrification for the overall delivery vehicle fleet. As you can imagine, the fleet will gradually increase, and it will only increase with EVs from a certain point.
Once all the ICE vehicles used by the Postal Service get to the point where their service life ends, or if the organization decides that they are ready to be replaced, EVs will be acquired in their place. It is not an overnight process, as the organization itself did not grow overnight, but started with horses, moved to trains and horses, and then got to use motor vehicles when they became available.
Between today and 2028, the USPS plans to acquire about 106,000 vehicles, and at least 66,000 of those will be BEVs. As you can observe, most of the fleet will consist of EV purchases, but not all the vehicles that will be purchased will be EVs. The reason for this is linked to logistics challenges for some areas served by the Postal Service and the availability of EVs, among other issues.
After all, you want to get your mail and your packages delivered as soon as possible, not after the USPS's EV fleet is delivered. It will be a process both for the delivery drivers and for the people handling the logistics network behind the system.
Switching from ICE to EV is not as straightforward for an employee who drives a work vehicle as it is for a consumer who is interested in buying an EV. The difference is that the former category just wants to get the job done, while the latter is acquiring something for personal use. While they will both be EV drivers at the traffic light, the reasons why they are in those EVs are different.
The good news for all USPS drivers is that the new vehicles will all come with air conditioning, as well as advanced safety technology. The former part makes us sigh for the people who had to drive a vehicle without A/C for work and could not do anything about it.
Now, if the person delivering your mail is just a bit happier when you see them in their new work vehicle, you know why. Hopefully, the massive windshields of the Oshkosh NGDVs will have proper tinting on their upper side, or at least decent blinds to prevent sunburn and blinding the drivers for most of the day.
All acquisitions made by the USPS that will be delivered from 2026 to 2028 are expected to be 100% electric. In the long term, the USPS is exploring ways to obtain 100% electrification for the overall delivery vehicle fleet. As you can imagine, the fleet will gradually increase, and it will only increase with EVs from a certain point.
Once all the ICE vehicles used by the Postal Service get to the point where their service life ends, or if the organization decides that they are ready to be replaced, EVs will be acquired in their place. It is not an overnight process, as the organization itself did not grow overnight, but started with horses, moved to trains and horses, and then got to use motor vehicles when they became available.
Between today and 2028, the USPS plans to acquire about 106,000 vehicles, and at least 66,000 of those will be BEVs. As you can observe, most of the fleet will consist of EV purchases, but not all the vehicles that will be purchased will be EVs. The reason for this is linked to logistics challenges for some areas served by the Postal Service and the availability of EVs, among other issues.
After all, you want to get your mail and your packages delivered as soon as possible, not after the USPS's EV fleet is delivered. It will be a process both for the delivery drivers and for the people handling the logistics network behind the system.
Switching from ICE to EV is not as straightforward for an employee who drives a work vehicle as it is for a consumer who is interested in buying an EV. The difference is that the former category just wants to get the job done, while the latter is acquiring something for personal use. While they will both be EV drivers at the traffic light, the reasons why they are in those EVs are different.
The good news for all USPS drivers is that the new vehicles will all come with air conditioning, as well as advanced safety technology. The former part makes us sigh for the people who had to drive a vehicle without A/C for work and could not do anything about it.
Now, if the person delivering your mail is just a bit happier when you see them in their new work vehicle, you know why. Hopefully, the massive windshields of the Oshkosh NGDVs will have proper tinting on their upper side, or at least decent blinds to prevent sunburn and blinding the drivers for most of the day.
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