U.S. Postal Service Moves Forward with its Plan to Replace the Vast Majority of its Delivery Fleet with Traditional Gas Powered Vehicles

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, in a blow to the Biden Administration ,the U.S. Postal Service is moving forward with its plan to replace the vast majority of its fleet with non-electric vehicles, defying the Biden administration and rejecting its request that USPS slow down its upcoming multi-billion dollar spending spree.

The Postal Service will continue on its current course to replace 90% of its fleet with internal combustion engine vehicles and just 10% with EVs, postal officials said on Wednesday. Management finalized its plan after releasing its “record of decision,” which rebutted complaints lodged earlier this month by the Environmental Protection Agency and the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality. In rejecting the Biden team’s arguments, USPS said the administration’s suggestions to further consider options and impacts would not yield better information or change the agency’s decisions.

Postal officials also stressed on Tuesday that 10% of the 165,000 vehicles it plans to buy is the minimum number of EVs it will procure, as the final total could vary based on costs coming down or Congress providing USPS with additional funds. In separate letters earlier this month, EPA and CEQ said the Postal Service’s award process—USPS last year selected Oshkosh Defense to manufacture at least 50,000 vehicles to modernize its fleet—has violated the National Environmental Policy Act and CEQ regulations.

The search for replacement vehicles for the Postal Service’s delivery fleet, which started in 2015, resulted in the purpose-built NGDVs that will deliver air conditioning and heating, improved ergonomics, and some of the most advanced vehicle and safety technology — including 360-degree cameras, advanced braking and traction control, air bags, a front-and rear-collision avoidance system that includes visual, audio warning, and automatic braking. The vehicles will also have increased cargo capacity to maximize efficiency and better accommodate higher mail and package volumes.

“As we have reiterated throughout this process, our commitment to an electric fleet remains ambitious given the pressing vehicle and safety needs of our aging fleet as well as our fragile financial condition. As our financial position improves with the ongoing implementation of our 10-year plan, Delivering for America, we will continue to pursue the acquisition of additional BEV as additional funding – from either internal or congressional sources – becomes available,” said Postmaster General and USPS Chief Executive Officer Louis DeJoy. “But the process needs to keep moving forward. The men and women of the U.S. Postal Service have waited long enough for safer, cleaner vehicles to fulfill on our universal service obligation to deliver to 161 million addresses in all climates and topographies six days per-week.”