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 critiques from supply drivers based on an AP report.
The method of electrifying Put up Workplace autos has been lengthy within the making, with bids and proposals reaching again to the mid-2010s.
After quite a lot of backwards and forwards, USPS lastly settled on a contract with Oshkosh in 2021, however the unique plan solely included some 10% electrical vehicles. The overwhelming majority of the acquisition would nonetheless encompass 8.6mpg gasoline 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 impress the fleet – as was certainly one of President Biden’s first commitments in workplace.
All this stress 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 autos to return from Oshkosh earlier than then. USPS may also purchase some variety of off-the-shelf EVs, with a giant contract already handed out to Ford for 9,250 E-Transits.
After all, as we’ve change into 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 street right now is at the very least 30 years previous.
And people previous autos undergo 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 continually fall out of alignment. AP additionally factors out that almost 100 LLVs caught hearth final 12 months – a standard occasion with regards to inner combustion autos.
The NGDVs enhance on the previous LLVs in each certainly one of these elements. They’re extra environment friendly, not noisy or smelly, have air-con, enable drivers to face up and stroll via the automobile to get packages, and are chock filled with security options each for the motive force and to assist improve security of different street customers like pedestrians, cyclists, pet canines, and so forth. The NGDVs have around-view cameras, blind spot screens 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 package deal space helps him keep away from again ache by not having to crouch. And mail provider union chief Brian Renfroe mentioned there’s quite a lot of pleasure amongst postal employees concerning the new autos.
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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