The United States Postal Service vehicle fleet is the largest federal fleet in the country, and with the help of Ford Motor Company, it’s going electric. After a close competition for the contract, Ford has been selected to provide the Postal Service with 9,250 left-hand drive battery-electric delivery vehicles. This enormous undertaking is not only a proud moment for Ford, but a milestone in the nationwide adoption of electric vehicles.
“We are moving forward with our plans to simultaneously improve our service, reduce our cost, grow our revenue, and improve the working environment for our employees. Electrification of our vehicle fleet is now an important component of these initiatives,” said Louis DeJoy, Postmaster General. “We have developed a strategy that mitigates both cost and risk of deployment – which enable execution on this initiative to begin now. I again want to thank the Administration officials and members of Congress who have assisted us in this initiative. Each has shown genuine understanding that our movement toward electrification must be thoughtful and deliberate, must appropriately manage risk, and must be consistent with our primary delivery mission for the American people.”
In December of 2022, the Postal Service launched an initiative directed at lowering carbon emissions and reducing operation costs, which eventually led to this contract. Within the next five years, USPS aims to have an operating fleet that is made up of 75% electric vehicles, and after 2026, all acquisitions of Next Generation Delivery Vehicles (NGDV) will be fully electric. The Postal Service will eventually invest $9.6 billion, $3 billion of which will come from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
Ford will be supplying the USPS fleet with E-Transit vehicles manufactured in Kansas City, Missouri, to be used on regular delivery routes. Delivery is expected to begin in December of this year. On top of this contract for the vehicles themselves, the Postal Service has also issued contracts for over 14,000 new charging stations to three different suppliers.
“Ford is proud to support the United States Postal Service in delivering a more sustainable future for America by electrifying their fleet with over 9,200 E-Transit vans through the end of 2024. Built by our dedicated UAW workforce at the Kansas City Assembly Plant, vehicles will be operated by the largest electric fleet in the country serving communities on every street corner. Together with USPS, we are committing to cleaner air and a better planet,” said Jim Farley, Ford president and CEO.
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