USPS installs EV charging stations, plans 66,000 EVs by 2028
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is moving forward with plans to deploy one of the nation's largest electric vehicle (EV) fleets.
As part of a 106,000-vehicle acquisition plan for deliveries it launched in 2022 (which is included in a larger $40 billion investment strategy to upgrade and improve processing, transportation, and delivery networks), USPS has implemented its first set of EV charging stations at its South Atlanta sorting and delivery center (S&DC).
USPS will install EV charging stations at hundreds of new S&DCs across the country throughout the year. The organization expects to convert approximately 400 selected sites into S&DCs nationwide. These centers are designed to provide faster and more reliable mail and package delivery over a greater geographic area and will serve as the local hubs to deploy EVs along local carrier routes.
As of January 2024, USPS has opened 29 S&DCs nationwide. The Postal Service's initial EV charging stations were manufactured by Siemens and its first 14,000 EV chargers will be manufactured by three suppliers: Siemens, Rexel/ChargePoint and Blink.
USPS reveals EV rollout roadmap
USPS plans on procuring a total of 21,000 commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) EVs — including 9,250 from Ford — depending on market availability and operational feasibility. In addition, the Postal Service anticipates adding at least 45,000 battery-electric next generation delivery vehicles (NGDVs) by 2028, bringing the total number of EVs in the delivery fleet to more than 66,000.
Deployment of electric delivery trucks will start in Georgia and then expand to other locations across the country throughout the year. The vehicles feature air conditioning and advanced safety technology and are designed to meet modern operational requirements. USPS will also continue to investigate achieving 100% electrification for its delivery vehicle fleet.
In addition, USPS says that updating and modernizing its fleet will allow delivery vehicles to haul larger volumes of mail and packages. The Ford E-Transits the Postal Service intends to deploy have nearly three times the cargo capacity of the traditional delivery vehicles that the Postal Service currently uses.
"The improvements we need to achieve in sustainability are an integral outgrowth of the broader modernization efforts we have undertaken through our 10-year Delivering for America plan," said postmaster general Louis DeJoy. "As we transform our operating processes and invest in new automation, new technologies, and upgraded facilities and vehicles, we will generate significant efficiencies that reduce our costs, slash our carbon footprint and minimize waste. We are grateful for the support of Congress and the Biden Administration through Inflation Reduction Act funding, which helped enable the electrification in evidence here today."
The United States Postal Service (USPS) is an independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing and to provide affordable, reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages six and often seven days a week. The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.