President Biden has made clear that the Federal Government should (will) move to 100 percent clean (mainly electric) vehicle acquisition as quickly as possible.
Postmaster General DeJoy has made clear that, well, ‘frankly my dear, he doesn’t give a damn” with today’s announcement of the Next-Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV):
The vehicles will be equipped with either fuel-efficient internal combustion engines or battery electric powertrains
While the press release emphasizes “either … or …”, the winning firm ( Oshkosh) was emphasized as the “gasoline” engine option in the years of the bidding process. Oshkosh is partnered with Ford and the NGDV is based on the Ford Transit which has a ICE drive train. Ford announced an electric Transit option in late 2020 for the 2022 model year and thus it isn’t irrational to think/see a quick move to mainly (if not entirely) electric NGDV acquisition.
The existing fleet of postal delivery vehicles is in desperate need for replacement. These decades-old vehicles are, literally, spontaneously exploding in flames. They are expensive to maintain, unsafe, uncomfortable, and without 30+ years of advancements in automotive technology and design. The Oshkosh NGDV, with first deliveries as early as 2023, will be a leap-ahead for the Postal Service. All of this is true.
However, the Biden Administration should have (if it didn’t) worked to have the announcement delayed for a review to make this a 100 percent electric vehicle acquisition in line with President Biden’s executive order. Putting aside climate reality and the necessity for rapid movement, there is a simple true: even if they cost more to buy (a differential dropping every day), it costs far less to own an electric vehicle. Considering these will be on essentially every single US street six times a week for perhaps the next 30 years, there is no economic and financial justification for not going with a 100% clean (and nearly 100% electric) fleet. Every single one (and of them) delivered with an internal combustion engine will be a wasted investment.
Note:
UPDATE:
The Zero-Emission Transportation Alliance (ZETA) has come out with a statement: ZETA Opposes DeJoy Move to Buy Gas-Powered Vehicles.
Wednesday, Feb 24, 2021 · 2:36:51 PM +00:00
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A Siegel
I should have made clear that there were political efforts to convince the USPS to hold off on this decision and to sway the decision toward electric. An example, which I wasn’t aware of, was this letter from Senators a few weeks ago.