Most of the U.S. Postal Service’s 142,000 Long Life Delivery Vehicles have been in service 20-24 years. But replacing the fleet is a significant investment. Until the Postal Service decides what kind of vehicles will best serve its growing base of customers—at the lowest cost—USPS is taking a series of steps to extend the lives of its current vehicles.
USPS has awarded contracts to five companies to develop a battery for an electric-powered light delivery vehicle. These vendors will use current vehicles as the base and convert them to electric power. Prototype vehicles from all five companies are scheduled to arrive in August. The Postal Service will spend the next year testing them in and around the Washington, DC, metropolitan area.
Vehicle technology continues to evolve, including the use of alternative fuels. In addition to battery power, USPS is evaluating a number of other fuels including compressed natural gas, propane, E -85, diesel and hydrogen fuel cell. There are plenty of options and finding the best solution will require careful analysis to make sure the best vehicle is selected.
Reducing energy use is one of the Postal Service’s major sustainability goals. Around the country, USPS is making excellent progress to reach that goal compared to a year ago. Fuel consumption for USPS-owned vehicles has decreased 3.7 percent, or 2.6 million gallons.
source: USPS
These alternate vehicle programs are not about getting a replacement for the LLV, it’s about giving large amounts of postal cash for a few vehicles that will never see the light of day. We are repeating the mistake that the previous CNG conversations program, the diesel jeep program had. We pay for limited conversation with small companies who then declare bankruptcy which means we can no longer get parts for the vehicles. Then we end up removing the conversation parts and return the vehicle to gasoline. The thought of going to a major manufacture and buy a normal production vehicle is not going to happen, even if the ford Transit is offered in full eclectic, in a short time, the postal service won’t buy it, and why, because there is to many jobs in numerous departments that only exist because of these one off programs. If we bought a production vehicle the only job would be in the procurement depart. Jack would have no place to hide his friends then.
Why not just buy the all-electric, Ford Transit Connect vehilces with right hand drive? Been available in Europe for years. They’re about the same size as an LLV and actually kind of look like them as well. Seems like it would be a nice “win-win” situation with an American manufacturer getting a nice contract and getting some people work to do.
MAG Inc has a running PRO-TYPE non of the above mentioned even have the vehicles up and going…I think the USPS needs to Look at the companies that have supplied large volumes of these type of vehicles to the GOVERMENT Mag has….
type in USPS Grummin on u tube to see this vehicle in action