U.S. House panel sets hearing to press for electric postal vehicles
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[April 01, 2022]
By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A U.S. House of
Representatives committee said on Wednesday it will hold an April 5
hearing on U.S. Postal Service (USPS) plans to purchase electric
vehicles, where lawmakers expect to push for purchases of many more
zero-emission delivery trucks.
Last week, USPS said it had placed an initial $2.98 billion order for
50,000 next-generation delivery vehicles from Oshkosh Corp. It said at
least 10,019 of those will be electric vehicles (EVs), double its
initial planned EV purchases, but some lawmakers feel that is not
enough.
House Oversight Committee chair Carolyn Maloney said USPS "should be
leading the way, not falling behind private companies that are already
moving ahead to save money and curb climate change by electrifying their
fleets."
Previously, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy had committed to buying at
least 10% EVs as part of a multibillion-dollar plan to retire
30-year-old delivery vehicles.
The hearing will include USPS Inspector General Tammy Whitcomb and
Victoria Stephen, executive director of the USPS Next Generation
Delivery Vehicle program.
Congress has considered awarding USPS $5.9 billion to boost EV purchases
and charging infrastructure.
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United States Postal Service (USPS) workers load mail into delivery
trucks outside a post office in Royal Oak, Michigan, U.S. August 22,
2020. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook/File Photo
USPS in February rejected a bid by
the White House and Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider
its plans to buy mostly gasoline-powered vehicles and hold a new
public hearing on the environmental ramifications of the vehicle
purchases.
In February 2021, the USPS announced an initial $482 million
contract for Oshkosh and said it could order up to 165,000 vehicles
over 10 years in a deal that could be worth $6 billion or more.
USPS estimates its total costs for buying and operating 75,000 new
delivery vehicles over 20 years including fueling and maintenance at
$9.3 billion for gasoline-powered vehicles and $11.6 billion for
electric models.
In 2019, USPS operated 217,000 vehicles that traveled approximately
1.2 billion miles and spent about $706.2 million in maintenance
costs for it fleet of 140,000 older delivery vehicles.
USPS said its commitment to "an electric fleet remains ambitious
given the pressing vehicle and safety needs of our aging fleet as
well as our fragile financial condition."
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by David Gregorio)
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