Postal Service Commits to Electrifying Half its New Fleet

After receiving harsh criticism for its original plan to replace its fleet with primarily gas-powered trucks, the United States Postal Service is changing course, reports Gersh Kuntzman in Streetsblog USA. “According to a posting on the USPS website quietly uploaded [on Wednesday], the agency will raise the target percentage of new electric vehicles in the fleet from just 10 percent to 50 percent. And instead of rush purchasing 165,000 new “Next Generation Delivery Vehicles” — 90 percent of them gas-powered — the Postal Service will reduce its order to 50,000.”

The USPS blamed a lack of sufficient funding for its original plan. Environmentalists praise the changes, but argue that the agency needs to do more to reduce emissions. Kuntzman also notes that “The announcement by the Postal Service still ignores the potential of electric cargo bicycle and tricycle delivery, which studies show can slash emissions by roughly one-third compared to electric cargo vans, particularly in dense cities where mail routes are short.”