The USPS proposes a new mail delivery fleet that’s 40 percent electric

Another fresh proposal from the USPS would increase the proportion of electric cars it intends to buy in order to update its fleet (via Electrek). The service stated that “at least 50%” of its initial purchase of 50,000 next-generation mail trucks will be battery electric vehicles in a press statement on Wednesday. That is a significant shift from the February announcement by USPS leadership that just 10% of the new fleet will be electric. The USPS proposes a new mail delivery fleet that’s 40 percent electric

That figure did increase in March, only a few weeks after the military informed President Biden that it would continue with its intentions to buy largely gas-powered vehicles when it revealed that it was contemplating a first order that would include 10,019 electric trucks. The projected fleet of the USPS has been thoroughly examined in terms of its environmental effect. In an effort to stop the service’s intentions to convert the majority of the fleet to gas engines, 16 states joined forces with environmental groups in April to file a lawsuit against it. There was uproar earlier this year when the Environmental Protection Agency revealed that the new Oshkosh cars would only achieve 8.6 miles per gallon with the air conditioning on.

In order to expand its fleet, the USPS has announced that it plans to purchase an extra 34,500 “commercial off-the-shelf” vehicles (i.e., cars and trucks that are not specifically designed for postal delivery) during the next two years. It wants as many of them that are “commercially available” to be battery-powered, according to its news statement. However, a notice does state that up to 14,500 of those cars would be fueled by gas. The USPS predicts that about 40% of the 84,500 total off-the-shelf and purpose-built postal trucks will be electric.