US Postal Service Announces Shift Toward Electric Delivery Vehicles - ExtremeTech:
The United States Postal Service (USPS) isn't just busy delivering holiday packages; it's also working to revamp its fleet of ground delivery vehicles. The public mailing service has announced its intent to transition toward electric vehicles (EVs) in an effort to reduce its operations' greenhouse gas emissions.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced the agency's EV adoption strategy on Tuesday alongside a handful of Biden administration officials. Starting now, the USPS will begin replacing its aging fleet of 30-year-old delivery trucks—most of which are said to lack air conditioning and get approximately 10 MPG—with 66,000 total EVs. Of these, 45,000 will be from defense contractor Oshkosh, which currently has a deal to provide the USPS with 60,000 updated delivery vehicles. The remainder of the agency's new electric fleet will come from mainstream automakers. By 2026, all new vehicles purchased by the USPS will be electric.
"We have a statutory requirement to deliver mail and packages to 163 million addresses six days per week and to cover our costs in doing so," said DeJoy during the announcement. "If we can achieve those objectives in a more environmentally responsible way, we will do so."
(Score: 2) by Mojibake Tengu on Sunday December 25, @11:25PM (5 children)
How good those electric vehicles perform today in -45˚C?
The edge of 太玄 cannot be defined, for it is beyond every aspect of design
(Score: 2) by number11 on Sunday December 25, @11:56PM (1 child)
-45C? Where in the US is it that cold? Coldest today in the lower 48 is -32C is a couple of places in ND. It probably won't get much colder than that. Alaska can get nippy (coldest recorded -62C one day in 1971 at Prospect Creek Camp, but nobody lives there anymore). So maybe we'll have to cut a little slack for AK. But I'd bet they're not using those old aluminum Grumman trucks in the frigid boonies now, either.
Of course, EVs may be a little wimpy at -32C as well. But places like that are not the norm, and in urbanized areas it shouldn't matter anyhow, other than maybe having to shorten the routes a bit.
(Score: 2) by hopp on Tuesday December 27, @05:56AM
Those old Grummans are big aluminum heat sinks with a Jeep Heater. Ever owned a cj5? Very little heat if it's even working.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Monday December 26, @02:12AM (1 child)
They wouldn't, no delivery on Christmas.
(Score: 2) by TheGratefulNet on Monday December 26, @04:31PM
"dejoy to the world,
your package wont come
you wont - receive - a thing"
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
(Score: 2) by richtopia on Tuesday December 27, @03:45PM
Range goes down (I've seen estimates from 20-40% loss). Otherwise, EVs are good choices in winter. Batteries are heavy, which improves traction. The electric motor allows better control of power delivery, so traction control doesn't require pulsing the brakes.
Budgeting range is another variable that will need to be considered when routing USPS vehicles. I suspect even with 50% of range lost due to extreme weather, the initial years of EV adoption would be fine. As the USPS adopts EVs, they'll deploy them on urban/suburban routes to minimize range constraints and maximize the regenerative breaking. By the time the USPS gets to replacing 100mile+ routes with electric vehicles they'll have a better understanding of the technology and can more accurately predict the ramifications. Fun fact: the longest route is 181.4 miles. https://facts.usps.com/longest-rural-delivery-route/ [usps.com]
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Sunday December 25, @11:26PM (2 children)
Oshkosh has a history of milking cost plus contracts. USPS has no history of dealing with the military industrial complex.
Call me a cynic, but I'm guessing the USPS is going to be buying a lot of shit that doesn't meet their needs, but if they spend more money they'll get exactly what they want.
Not what they need, mind you. What they want.
I just passed a drug test. My dealer has some explaining to do.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 25, @11:31PM
Well, the Post Office already published some numbers, from earlier this year, https://www.reuters.com/technology/usps-buy-50000-delivery-vehicles-298-billion-initial-order-2022-03-24/ [reuters.com]
The first cost of BEV is so high that the reduced fuel and service costs can't be recouped in 20 years.
And to think that some people think electric cars are a good deal for the masses of people...?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 25, @11:35PM
> USPS has no history of dealing with the military industrial complex.
Boop, sorry wrong answer. Current postal vehicles made by defense contractor Grumman (on a Chevy S-10 Blazer chassis),
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_LLV [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Sunday December 25, @11:32PM (3 children)
Amazon have partnered with Rivian for a custom (Amazon-only) electric delivery van [youtube.com]
what's to be USPS doesn't get anything nearly as nice, and which costs alot more?
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 25, @11:43PM (2 children)
So let's see who delivers first (or on schedule). Rivian is having a lot of trouble ramping up production of their BEV trucks,
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-08/rivian-s-troubles-are-only-mounting-a-year-after-its-ipo-bonanza [bloomberg.com]
I'm kind of wondering if Amazon is going to get very many of their special vans?
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Monday December 26, @12:41AM (1 child)
apparently, 100 are already in service
https://press.aboutamazon.com/2022/7/amazons-custom-electric-delivery-vehicles-from-rivian-start-rolling-out-across-the-u-s [aboutamazon.com]
not sure how close they will get to the planned 100,000 by the end of 2022, though!
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 26, @02:54AM
Don't be so cynical MostCynical! They've got the better part of a week to churn out the other 99,900! :)
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 26, @06:44AM (3 children)
Once you go electric, you will never shift again.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 26, @12:10PM
But I like shifting and heel-toe, double-clutch shifting too. Learned the basics when I was five years old.
It's probably something about the enjoyment that comes from mastering a skill?
https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-drive-stick-2012-5 [businessinsider.com]
(Score: 2) by ChrisMaple on Monday December 26, @09:17PM (1 child)
Several companies are developing fake manual transmissions for electric cars. I think it's too silly an idea to ever be financially successful; maybe to silly to even get to market.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 27, @04:26AM
That follows along with the "discrete gears" that are available on some cars with CVT automatic transmissions. Subaru has done this including paddle shifters on the steering wheel, maybe others.
Don't be too quick to damn things like these "fake shifters" as a selling point. In high school (early 1970s) a friend was allowed to drive his father's Corvette on occasion. It was an automatic, but he insisted on moving the lever from Low to 2 to D manually as the car accelerated--made him feel like he was shifting a stick. I snickered to myself (being polite) when he shifted too soon and the auto trans logic held the lower gear a bit longer...