At a press event Jan. 22 at the South Atlanta Sorting and Delivery Center, the U.S. Postal Service displayed newly acquired Ford E-Transit parcel delivery vans alongside EV charging stations. Similar charging stations will be installed at hundreds of new sorting and delivery centers across the country throughout the year to power what will be the nation’s largest EV fleet.
USPS earlier announced its intent to purchase a total of 21,000 electric delivery vehicles, including 9,250 Ford E-Transit vans by the end of 2024, and at least 45,000 battery-electric Next Generation Delivery Vehicles by 2028, bringing the total number of EVs in the delivery fleet to more than 66,000.
Deployment of electric delivery trucks will start in Georgia and then expand to other locations across the country throughout the year. The vehicles feature air conditioning and advanced safety technology and are designed to meet modern operational requirements.
The purchase of EVs and charging stations is enabled by the USPS’s overall network modernization efforts---which allow more rapid EV deployment---as well as its improving financial condition, which includes $3 billion in congressional funding appropriated under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
“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. “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. We are grateful for the support of Congress and the Biden Administration through Inflation Reduction Act funding, which helped enable the electrification in evidence here today.”
As part of its 10-year Delivering for America (DFA) plan, USPS expects to convert approximately 400 selected sites into sorting and delivery centers nationwide. These centers will serve as local hubs to deploy EVs along local carrier routes. As of January, USPS has opened 29 such facilities nationwide.
The charging stations displayed at the Atlanta center were manufactured by Siemens. These stations will be able to efficiently charge USPS EVs overnight prior to the next day’s deliveries. USPS’s first 14,000 EV chargers will be manufactured by three suppliers: Siemens, Rexel/ChargePoint and Blink.
“Congratulations to the United States Postal Service on electrifying its South Atlanta Sorting and Delivery Center, signaling a big step forward in their plan to deliver a more sustainable future with electric vehicles and charging. Our dedicated Ford Pro and E-Transit team are proud to play a role in helping to electrify the largest federal fleet in the country,” said Jim Farley, Ford president and CEO.
