- The USPS will put more than 9,000 electric mail trucks on the road, electrifying America's oldest vehicle fleet.
- The postal service plans to spend nearly $10 billion on its electrification plan.
The US Postal Service will put more than 9,000 new electric trucks on the road as part of an electrification effort slated to cost $9.6 billion.
USPS announced Tuesday that it would purchase 9,250 brand new electric trucks alongside more than 14,000 charging stations to electrify the oldest operating federal vehicle fleet. The move comes a year after the postal service was bashed for planning to buy a new fleet of gas vehicles, according to the Hill.
"We are moving forward with our plans to simultaneously improve our service, reduce our cost, grow our revenue, and improve the working environment for our employees," US Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said in a statement. "Electrification of our vehicle fleet is now an important component of these initiatives."
The 9,000-plus vehicles are just the tip of the iceberg, according to USPS. The federal agency plans to make its fleet 75% electric in the next five years, and vowed that all vehicle purchases after 2026 will be electric.
According to the plan, USPS will deploy more than 66,000 electric vehicles by 2028. Also part of the plan: USPS will begin building out its electric infrastructure at 75 locations throughout the country in the next year.
The first wave of vehicles to hit the road will be accompanied by more than 14,000 charging stations slated to be installed at postal service facilities throughout the country, according to USPS. The postal service has not yet announced where the first electric vehicles will be deployed, noting in a press release that it is still weighing the best routes for the new vehicles.