Up to 165,000 new vehicles for US Postal Service
The US Postal Service has announced the long-awaited replacement for the venerable Grumman LLV. Oshkosh Defense was given the contract to build up to 165,000 new mail vans, a part of which will be battery-electric.
Today, the US Postal Service operates a fleet of 230,000 vehicles of all classes combined. The USPS started the process to replace the Grumman LLVs (pictured, right), which were manufactured between 1987 and 1994, in 2015 when it awarded contracts to six suppliers to produce prototypes.
Now, the 10-year $482-million contract has been awarded to Oshkosh Defense, a defence contractor mainly known for building military vehicles. The Next Generation Delivery Vehicle is a purpose-built, right-hand-drive vehicle for mail and package delivery that will be equipped with either fuel-efficient internal combustion engines or battery-electric powertrains. They have been designed for easy retrofitting to keep pace with advances in electric vehicle technologies.
The new vehicles will also feature advanced safety features and airconditioning, something the current fleet doesn’t have.
The decision has been made by US Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a controversial political appointee of former President Donald Trump. Mr DeJoy has been accused of having personal business interests in competitors of the USPS and who has been accused of “deliberate sabotage” of the USPS. The decision to award this contract to Oshkosh has been critised by the Zero Emission Transportation Association, issuing this statement:
“U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is trying to lock our postal vehicle fleet into decades of carbon-intensive transportation. This directly conflicts with the Administration’s stated goals and is certain to see swift pushback from appropriators who have sought to drive USPS vehicle electrification. Many have questioned whether DeJoy has actually had USPS’ best interests in mind, but this reckless misstep is a new low. We encourage others to join us in speaking out about this decision and call on Congress to act on what is a clear invitation from DeJoy to reverse his decision.”
It remains to be seen whether Congress or President Biden will intervene to reverse the decision, and whether that reversal will pertain to the powertrain choice or to the entire contract.
Image: Oshkosh vehicle copyright: USPS; Grumman LLV: Shutterstock
