The United States Postal Service (USPS) launched initial electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at South Atlanta Sorting and Delivering Center, setting the stage for the largest electric vehicle fleet in the country.
The number of these facilities, which combine letter carrier and mail handling activities, will increase to 100 by year's end, with a goal of 400 in three years.
The project is part of the USPS "Delivering for America" program, which has an allocated budget of $40 billion in infrastructure over 10 years. This financing includes about $10 billion for a new fleet, and the Inflation Reduction Act added $3 billion to EV adoption and charging infrastructure.
Aiming for Sustainability, Efficiency
USPS Postmaster General Louis DeJoy emphasized that the initiatives "are an integral outgrowth of the broader modernization efforts we have undertaken through our 10-year Delivering for America plan," according to the Federal News Network. The South Atlanta center's EV charging stations mark the start of a statewide deployment plan, with hundreds more scheduled at new S&DCs in the coming months.
S&DCs enable an electric next-generation vehicle fleet, DeJoy noted. These facilities have enough room and equipment for EV charging. Furthermore, the USPS's modernization efforts improve operations, add automation and technology, and renovate buildings and vehicles, in line with the main targets of bringing down costs, carbon footprint, and waste.
(Photo : Alex Wong/Getty Images)
EV Mail Trucks Roll Out
In a related update, the USPS has also announced that it is now deploying the first off-the-shelf Ford Transit electric vehicles for mail delivery. According to FreightWaves, this move aligns with the USPS's broader electrification plan, including the unveiling of EV charging stations at the South Atlanta Sorting and Delivery Center. The USPS aims to replace 165,000 aging and fire-prone Grumman LLVs over the next decade, with Siemens, Rexel/ChargePoint, and Blink providing charging infrastructure for 66,000 EVs. Beyond its 10% promise, the USPS will buy 45,000 battery-electric vehicles by 2028.
The majority of the new delivery trucks will come from Oshkosh Corp., with 9,250 Ford E-Transit vans ordered. These vans feature a 266-horsepower electric motor, rear-wheel drive, and a 126-mile range, offering three times the cargo capacity of Grumman vehicles. The deployment of electric delivery trucks is set to commence in Georgia and expand nationwide throughout the year.
In the previous year, the USPS committed to acquiring Ford E-Transit Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs). Distinguished by nearly three times the cargo capacity of the current Grumman LLV delivery vehicles used by the USPS, the Ford E-Transits enable carriers to transport more mail in a single trip, eliminating the need for frequent pickups, as per a report from Electrek.
White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory hailed USPS electric vehicle efforts as a stakeholder win. She said the USPS's commitment to creating the world's biggest electric delivery vehicle fleet shows leadership and supports President Biden's "Investing in America" campaign. Mallory believes the USPS is leading by emphasizing sustainability and supporting America's electric vehicle sector while benefitting employees and the environment.
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