USPS is lastly rolling out its much-anticipated Subsequent Technology Supply Autos (NGDVs), and the primary fleet of them to enter service in Atlanta, Georgia is incomes rave opinions from supply drivers in line with an AP report.
The method of electrifying Publish Workplace automobiles has been lengthy within the making, with bids and proposals reaching again to the mid-2010s.
After quite a lot of forwards and backwards, USPS lastly settled on a contract with Oshkosh in 2021, however the unique plan solely included some 10% electrical vans. The overwhelming majority of the acquisition would nonetheless encompass 8.6mpg fuel guzzlers.
So the back-and-forth continued, with Congressional committee hearings, lawsuits, and the Senate (and, in fact, we right here at Electrek) all pushing corrupt Postmaster DeJoy into making an actual dedication to affect the fleet – as was one in every of President Biden’s first commitments in workplace.
All this strain resulted within the USPS doubling after which doubling once more its buy intent, and eventually committing to 100% BEV purchases after 2026, with solely a small variety of fossil-powered automobiles to come back from Oshkosh earlier than then. USPS will even purchase some variety of off-the-shelf EVs, with an enormous contract already handed out to Ford for 9,250 E-Transits.
After all, as we’ve turn out to be aware of on this complete course of, the rollout of NGDVs was additionally delayed, however now AP is reporting on the primary fleet of USPS EVs, which has simply rolled out in Georgia (the place its first EV charging stations have been put in in January) to very optimistic outcomes.
Drivers love new NGDVs – extra options, extra security, much less stress
The earlier mail truck, the Grumman LLV, was constructed from 1986-1994. So each mail truck on the highway as we speak is a minimum of 30 years outdated.
And people outdated automobiles endure from myriad issues. Not solely do they solely get 9 miles per gallon, they’re additionally noisy, smelly (I’ve to shut my window day-after-day when the mail truck comes round), haven’t any air con, arduous to face up in, and their solely security characteristic is mirrors that always fall out of alignment. AP additionally factors out that almost 100 LLVs caught hearth final 12 months – a typical occasion relating to inner combustion automobiles.
The NGDVs enhance on the outdated LLVs in each one in every of these features. They’re extra environment friendly, not noisy or smelly, have air con, permit drivers to face up and stroll by the automobile to get packages, and are chock filled with security options each for the driving force and to assist enhance security of different highway customers like pedestrians, cyclists, pet canine, and so forth. The NGDVs have around-view cameras, blind spot displays and collision sensors.
AP quoted drivers in its article, with one stating the air con “felt like heaven blowing in my face,” and one other saying the bigger and taller bundle space helps him keep away from again ache by not having to crouch. And mail service union chief Brian Renfroe mentioned there’s quite a lot of pleasure amongst postal employees concerning the new automobiles.
Electrek’s Take
USPS PLEASE REPLACE THE POSTAL VEHICLE FOR THE ROUTE THAT GOES TO MY HOUSE. ITS SO SMELLY. IT FAILS TO START EVERY OTHER DAY. USPS PLEEEAAASSSEEE
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