Get a sneak peek of the Postal Service's new electric vehicles

USPS expects to acquire at least 66,000 battery electric delivery vehicles between now and 2028 to replace the Postal Service’s aging delivery fleet.

The Postal Service anticipates at least 60,000 "Next Generation Delivery Vehicles," of which at least 75% (45,000) will be EVs. As part of this plan, a total of 21,000 additional commercial off-the-shelf vehicles (with preference for domestic manufacturers) are also expected to be battery electric, depending on market availability and operational feasibility. The Postal Service also anticipates including internal combustion vehicles necessary to meet immediate vehicle replacement needs.

Feasibility of achieving 100% electrification for the overall USPS delivery vehicle fleet will continue to be explored.

In keeping with the Postal Service’s priority to provide its carriers and communities with safer, more efficient vehicles as soon as possible, these vehicles will, unlike the vehicles they are replacing, feature air conditioning and advanced safety technology and are more suited to modern day operational requirements.

New vehicles are expected to start servicing postal routes in late 2023.

Today’s announcement is enabled by the Postal Service’s overall network modernization efforts which allows for a more rapid deployment of EVs, and its improving financial condition which includes $3 billion in congressional funding appropriated under the Inflation Reduction Act.

Total investment of network modernization expected to reach $9.6 billion, including $3 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act.

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.

By May 2023, USPS will publish a Draft Supplemental EIS that will assess the potential environmental impacts of vehicle purchase alternatives

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy commented, “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… vehicle electrification can be incorporated into the Postal Service’s mission and transformation, while not distracting from it. In our own way we have all been faithful stewards of how [Inflation Reduction Act] funding and Postal funding will be spent."

USPS unveiled electric vehicles as well as an upgrade to conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.

“The $3 billion provided by Congress has significantly reduced the risk associated with accelerating the implementation of a nationwide infrastructure necessary to electrify our delivery fleet. While most of the electric vehicle funding will continue to come from Postal Service revenues, we are grateful for the confidence that Congress and the Administration have placed in us to build and acquire what has the potential to become the largest electric vehicle fleet in the nation.”

A J1772 on a new USPS mail delivery van

“What is less widely understood is that our network modernization initiative is necessary to enable this vehicle electrification and will also provide meaningful cost and carbon reductions in other ways. 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. When combined with our substantial commitment to the electrification of our delivery vehicles, the Postal Service will be at the forefront of our nation’s green initiatives.”

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