The U.S. Postal Service recently highlighted its new zero-emission electric Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV) in front of the organization’s headquarters at L’Enfant Plaza.
These vehicles, integral to the Postal Service’s most ambitious fleet replacement initiative in decades, are already making deliveries to households and businesses in areas around the country. They are enhancing mail and package delivery, providing a safer and more comfortable work environment for employees, and contributing to the reduction of carbon emissions. Modernization of the Postal Service’s delivery fleet is part of the organization’s 10-year Delivering for American plan — a $40 billion investment strategy to upgrade and improve the Postal Service’s processing, transportation and delivery networks.
“We’re moving forward in modernizing our vehicle fleet — which will bring tremendous benefits to our organization. Under our plan, letter carriers in every state will be able to deliver mail and packages using new and modern vehicles within the next five years,” said Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. “These new vehicles are enhancing safety for our employees, improving our capabilities to deliver on time and modernizing our operations. Our team deserves the best equipment as they work to serve 167 million addresses across the nation. The introduction of these new vehicles aligns with our operational strategy and financial health, setting us up for a future of improved service across the nation. The work being done on this program demonstrates electrification and sustainability efforts can coexist — not conflict — with cost savings, efficiency gains, and operational transformation priorities.”
A better employee experience
These vehicles have been designed with employee safety and comfort in mind, ensuring a better working environment for the Postal Service’s dedicated letter carriers. Features such as improved visibility, ergonomic seating, air conditioning, safety improvements and user-friendly operations will give Postal Service employees a more comfortable and intuitive experience while performing their duties.
Improving service and reliability
The newly integrated vehicles are already enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of mail and package delivery, and significantly elevating the customer service experience. The increased cargo capacity of these vehicles enables the transportation of more packages per trip, leading to a reduction in the number of required trips and resulting in greater efficiency. Coupled with their improved reliability, these vehicles minimize downtime for maintenance and repairs, ensuring consistent and timely delivery service.
Reducing carbon emissions
These zero-emission vehicles, which will form most of the Postal Service’s new vehicle acquisitions, are environmentally friendly and cost-effective. These investments spotlight the organization’s commitment to sustainability and fiscal responsibility, as the Postal Service seeks to reduce both its carbon footprint and operational costs.
In June, the Biden-Harris administration honored the Postal Service with a Presidential Federal Sustainability Award for advancing the sustainability and climate resilience of the U.S. government in ways that cut energy costs, reduce emissions and grow our economy.
Ongoing commitment to modernizing America’s largest and oldest federal fleet
The Postal Service’s fleet modernization is a core component of our Delivering for America plan. From the start, USPS committed to purchase the most environmentally sustainable vehicles across the organization’s entire fleet, consistent with financial and operational considerations, with the understanding that both the electrification and delivery schedule for the fleet could change with additional vehicle acquisitions, our improving financial condition, and our evolving operational strategy.
In December 2022, USPS announced plans to acquire 106,000 new vehicles, including at least 66,000 battery electric delivery vehicles. This includes 45,000 battery electric NGDVs and another 21,000 commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) battery electric vehicles. In February 2023, the Postal Service placed its first order for 9,250 electric COTS vehicles as well as for more than 14,000 electric vehicle charging stations.
In total, the Postal Service will invest $9.6 billion for vehicle modernization. Strategic deployment of additional vehicles will continue during the next five years, prioritizing areas based on factors such as delivery volume, infrastructure readiness and operational needs.
