NEW YORK, NY – POINT #1: The Postal Service is Committed to the Fiscally Responsible Roll-out of Electric-powered Vehicles for America’s Largest Federal Fleet.

On March 24, the Postal Service placed an order for 50,000 vehicles — of which, 10,019 will be battery electric vehicles (BEVs) — making good on our pledge to accelerate our electric vehicle strategy as our financial condition improves and as we refine our network and vehicle operating strategy. The flexibility in the NGDV program allows for future increases in the mix of BEVs should additional funding become available from internal or other sources, and if the use case for BEVs continues to improve. USPS continues to act on the urgent need to replace 30-year-old delivery vehicles that are powered by inefficient gasoline engines and lack modern safety features.

POINT #2: USPS will continue to evaluate our operations and has yet to release its total BEV/ICE vehicle mix.

The recent order accounts for 50,000 of the nearly 200,000 vehicles in the Postal Service fleet and maximizes our financial capacity and our contractor’s manufacturing capacity until FY 2027. While a second purchase order of NGDV’s has not been announced, we will continue to evaluate and evolve the appropriate mix as our organization and our financial picture transform in the coming years.

POINT #3: PMG DeJoy: “Our Commitment to An Electric Fleet Remains Ambitious.”

Regarding the Postal Service’s ongoing efforts to include electric vehicles in our fleet, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has stated: “Our commitment to an electric fleet remains ambitious given the pressing vehicle and safety needs of our aging fleet as well as our dire financial condition, the initial order includes 10,019 electric vehicles, and the flexibility to increase the number of electric vehicles introduced should additional funding become available. Absent such funding, we need to make fiscally responsible decisions that result in the needed introduction of safer and environmentally cleaner vehicles for the men and women who deliver America’s mail.”

POINT #4: NGDVs Will Be More Fuel-Efficient, Provide Better Emission Controls

The NGDV will have positive environmental impacts compared with the current Long-Life Vehicles (LLVs) due to fewer required trips and better emission controls. These controls will decrease tailpipe emissions and help improve air quality. The NGDV is also a more fuel-efficient vehicle as compared to the current LLV, despite being larger.

POINT #5: NGDVs Include Modern Safety Features to Support Postal Carriers.

NGDVs will support Postal Service carriers with cleaner and more efficient technologies, more amenities, and greater comfort and security as they deliver every day on behalf of the American people. The new vehicle will include modern safety features including 360-degree cameras, automatic front and rear braking, and a driver air bag.

POINT #6: The Postal Service Has Consulted with Agency Partners for Years to Carefully Consider Environmental Impacts of the Forthcoming NGDVs.

In the spirit of collaboration and dedication to modernizing its fleet, the Postal Service made its top engineering, logistics, and labor staff available to key federal agencies throughout the entire NGDV process.

POSTAL POINTS seeks to keep local news reporters and editors informed on top postal issues and progress made under the Postal Service’s 10-year plan, Delivering for America.

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