USPS doubles EV delivery truck orders to over 10,000 units

The United States Postal Service has officially doubled the number of electric delivery trucks it plans to order from 5,000 to at least 10,019, agency officials said last week.

When announcing previous plans in February, the Postal Service had planned to order only 5,000 electrified models of its delivery trucks. A January report from the USPS initially planned the mass replacement of ICE vehicles with EVs. However, cost constraints, which would require an additional $2.3 billion investment for 75,000 all-electric delivery vehicles, prevented the USPS from committing to such a drastic transition to vehicle powertrains.

Eventually, the government budget allowed the USPS to purchase 5,000 EVs, with plans to phase out at least 70 percent of the delivery fleet to battery electric vehicles by 2030. Pushback from a group of US lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee sent a letter to the USPS. Demanding a thorough investigation of the agency’s order “We write to request that the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the Postal Service initiate an investigation into the Postal Service’s compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, specifically those of the next generation delivery vehicle.” Filing of Environment Impact Statement (EIS) for the purpose,” the letter said.

(credit: USPS)

The Postal Service acknowledged that the NGDV (Next Generation Delivery Vehicle) will constitute at least 10 per cent of the total fleet. However, it will take time to convert the fleet to a higher concentration of BEVs due to the increased cost of ownership. “… BEV NGDV(s)ha (v)ICE has a significantly higher total cost of ownership than NGDV, which is why the preferred option being implemented is committed to no more than 10 percent BEV NGDV. Finally “The Postal Service notes that the preferred option implemented has the flexibility to significantly increase the percentage of BEV NGDV should additional funding become available from any source,” states a USPS report.

The USPS Environmental Impact Report for 2021 also states, “The actual timeline and quantity of NGDVs purchased and delivery vehicle types will depend on the Postal Service’s operational needs, including individual carrier routing needs and financial status.”

Now, the USPS has officially increased its order for 50,000 new vehicles, with at least 10,019 electric. Federal Times. The order clearly demonstrates that “the Postal Service is fully committed to the inclusion of electric vehicles as a significant part of our delivery fleet.” However, more than about 80 percent of new vehicles will be combustion engine powertrains.

Carolyn Maloney, a New York Democrat and chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, said more effort needs to be done to convert USPS to EVs. “The Postal Service must prioritize the acquisition of electric vehicles or it will be stuck with outdated technology that further pollutes our environment for decades,” she said.

Converting the entire USPS fleet to electric vehicles would cost an additional $3.3 billion. That money was included in the stalled Build Back Better plan that never made it through Congress.

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USPS doubles EV delivery truck orders to over 10,000 units






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