Slowly but surely, electric vehicles (EVs) are breaking through into the mainstream. As much as I hate to give credit to Lord Manchild, his company has been a difference-maker in this area. Now we're seeing the government get involved here in the US. The United States Postal Service (USPS) is making strides toward electrifying its fleet of delivery vehicles, and it's turning to Oshkosh and Ford to help make it happen. It announced plans to purchase over 100,000 electric delivery vehicles over the next decade. Mitchell Clark at The Verge has more.
In an announcement post on Tuesday, the agency said it hasn’t finalized plans for where the vehicles and infrastructure will be deployed but intends to “begin building out its charging infrastructure across a minimum of 75 locations within the next 12 months.” The chargers will help power a growing number of EVs. In December, the USPS announced its plans to add 66,000 electric vehicles to its fleet by 2028.
The USPS says that it should start receiving the E-Transits in December, assuming everything goes to plan. Last year, it said that the new Next Generation Delivery Vehicles should be servicing mail routes by the end of the year.
The Verge
As the USPS moves towards electrification, it is setting an example for other companies to follow. So far, Amazon is the only other company I've seen with invested and delivered EV plans. Its contract with Rivian has resulted in Amazon's initial fleet of EV delivery trucks hitting the road only a few months ago. I even happened to spot one in the wild last week. They look fantastic! With this move, the USPS is not only helping to reduce emissions but is also setting an example for other companies to follow in the pursuit of a cleaner, greener future.