Distributed Energy Resources, GHG Emissions, Industrial  -  January 22, 2024

Postal Service Adds EVs, Charging Stations

The United States Postal Service (USPS) unveiled its first set of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at its South Atlanta Sorting and Delivery Center (S&DC). Additional charging stations will be installed at hundreds of new S&DCs across the U.S. in 2024. 

Electrification and modernization of the Postal Service’s delivery fleet is part of the organization’s $40 billion investment strategy to upgrade and improve the USPS processing, transportation, and delivery networks.

“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 in a statement. “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.”

The USPS will also deploy new battery-powered and domestically manufactured commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) delivery vehicles that will make up a portion of the Postal Service’s EV fleet. 

The Postal Service expects to convert approximately 400 selected sites into S&DCs nationwide to serve as the local hubs to deploy EVs along local carrier routes. As of January 2024, the Postal Service has opened 29 S&DCs nationwide.  

The Postal Service’s first 14,000 EV chargers will be manufactured by three suppliers: Siemens, Rexel/ChargePoint, and Blink.

Ford Motor Company manufactures the battery-electric COTS vehicles. USPS plans to procure 21,000 COTS EVs, including 9,250 from Ford.  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. 

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