The United States Postal Service (USPS) has bought gas-powered trucks for their next-generation fleet to deliver mail and packages to different recipients instead of the electric vehicle. The plea by President Joe Biden got rejected by the agency with the focus on electric cars, saying that it is considering the input for the future, with more funding.
USPS Bought Gas Trucks and not Electric Vehicles Despite Biden's Plea
USPS's Next Generation Delivery Vehicle program (NGDV) completed its steps to purchase the vehicle fleet that it would use to better its services. However, the catch here now is that it did not focus on the electrification plans of President Joe Biden despite the pleas of the country's leader addressed to the postal service.
The NGDV program focused on gas trucks instead of electric vehicles to upgrade its services and fleet, soon delivering the packages it needs to recipients. Postmaster Louis DeJoy said that it would purchase electric cars under the program soon, but it would have to come from additional funding from internal or congress sources in the future.
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Why Did USPS Focus on Gas Trucks for its Next-Gen Plea
According to The Verge, the USPS focused on upgrading its fleet immediately, which it would get with gas-powered trucks readily available soon. Moreover, electrification is more expensive, and it may be so that it is out of their budget already.
The NDGV program also has leeways and is flexible for purchasing gas-powered trucks and electric vehicles, to which USPS opted for the former.
USPS and its Electric Mail Truck from Oshkosh
President Joe Biden built his career and legacy on electrifying America with its switch to clean energy vehicles to transport its government fleet, including different independent and federal agencies. That includes the likes of the White House's fleet, services for various branches of the government, and of course, its postal service.
Last year, the USPS announced its move to switch to electric mail trucks for 2023 with Oshkosh Defense as, its contractor, to deliver the BEVs. The deal is that Oshkosh would make the mail trucks available to fit either gas engines or electric drivetrains, which would be optional depending on the demand by the government agency.
Now, the USPS makes headlines again as it refused to go with the plea of POTUS Biden to purchase more electric vehicles as its allocation for the vehicle budget went into gas trucks more than electric cars.
The USPS said that they are highly considering electric vehicles but not now, especially as the budget is tight and that the agency would want to upgrade its fleet immediately.
Related Article: Biden Administration Approves Five-Year $5 Billion Plan to Support EV Charging Networks in the US
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Written by Isaiah Richard
