The U.S. Postal Service announced it will invest $9.6 billion to make the switch into a 100% electric vehicle fleet in the next five years. The USPS plans to acquire a fleet that is 100% electric in 2026, making it one of the largest electric vehicle fleets in the United States. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said: “We have a statutory requirement to deliver mail and packages to 163 million addresses six days per week and to cover our costs in doing so — that is our mission. As I have said in the past, if we can achieve those objectives in a more environmentally responsible way, we will do so.”
The postal service ramped up its move toward electric vehicles earlier this year after public outcry and a lawsuit alleged it was not doing enough to reduce its carbon footprint. USPS more than doubled its inventory of electric vehicles, putting 25,000 NGDVs to work. USPS will increase its number of Next Generation Delivery Vehicles to at least 60,000, about 45,000 of which will be powered by battery by 2028. About 21,000 will be commercially purchased vehicles. Congress approved $3 billion toward the initiative as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.
The White House has worked to increase the number of electric vehicles on the road with a goal of 50% of new vehicles sold in 2030 to be all electric. Sales of electric vehicles in the United States have tripled since President Joe Biden took office. John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President, said: “We commend the U.S. Postal Service. The USPS plan leverages the $3 billion provided by the Inflation Reduction Act to hit the target of 100% electric delivery vehicle purchases in 2026, sets the postal fleet on a course for electrification, significantly reduces vehicles miles traveled in the network, and places USPS at the forefront of the clean transportation revolution.”
Editorial credit: Jonathan Weiss / Shutterstock.com