WASHINGTON—The United States Postal Service announced it will increase the amount of electric-powered delivery trucks in its fleet. The Postal Service expects to acquire at least 66,000 battery electric delivery vehicles as part of its 106,000-vehicle acquisition plan for deliveries between now and 2028. The vehicles purchased as part of this anticipated plan will begin to replace the Postal Service’s aging delivery fleet of over 220,000 vehicles.
The Postal Service anticipates increasing the quantity of purpose-built Next Generation Delivery Vehicles (NGDV) to a minimum of 60,000 of which at least 45,000 will be battery electric by 2028. NGDV acquisitions delivered in 2026 and thereafter expected to be 100% electric.
New NGDVs are expected to start servicing postal routes in late 2023.
USPS also expects to purchase an additional 21,000 battery electric delivery vehicles through 2028, representing a mix of commercial off-the-shelf vehicles. Acquisitions delivered in 2026 through 2028 are expected to be 100% electric.
In July, USPS said it was planning to purchase 50,000 next-generation delivery vehicles, and of those vehicles, at least 50% of them will be electric vehicles. The Post Office’s original plan announced in February would have made 10% of its next-generation fleet electric. In March, USPS lifted its EV investment to 20%.
“The Postal Service will continue to evaluate and procure vehicles over shorter time periods to be more responsive to its evolving operational strategy, technology improvements, and changing market conditions, including the expected increased availability of BEV options in the future,” USPS said in a statement.
The Postal Service says that the feasibility of achieving 100% electrification for the overall Postal Service delivery vehicle fleet will continue to be explored.
“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,” said Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.
USPS plans to invest $9.6 billion on the initiative, which includes $3 billion from Inflation Reduction Act funds.
The Postal Service said it will also lead modernization efforts to drive additional substantial carbon reductions through logistics improvements and reduced transportation.
“A key focus of our modernization effort is to reduce inefficient transportation and improve distribution operations, resulting in far less air cargo and far fewer truck trips,” said DeJoy.