In addition, the USPS is also buying 9,250 internal combustion vans from Fiat Chrysler, which will cost just over $1 billion. Ford will begin delivering the left-hand-drive E-Transit vans in December of this year, while Fiat Chrysler will start shipping the left-hand-drive gas-powered vehicles in November.
Contracts totaling $260 million for the charging stations went to Blink Charging Co., Siemens Industry Inc., and Rexel USA Energy Solutions, the Postal Service said. Charging stations will be installed at several Postal Service facilities, including sorting and delivery centers, starting in the third quarter of this year.
Louis DeJoy, Postmaster General, stated that the USPS is moving forward with its plans to simultaneously improve its service, reduce its cost, grow its revenue, and improve the working environment for its employees. "Electrification of our vehicle fleet is now an important component of these initiatives," he said. The USPS has developed a strategy that mitigates both cost and risk of deployment, which enables execution on this initiative to begin now.
The Postal Service has said it will sharply increase the number of electric-powered delivery trucks and will go all-electric for new purchases starting in 2026. The USPS is spending nearly $10 billion to electrify its aging fleet, including installing a modern charging infrastructure at hundreds of postal facilities nationwide and purchasing at least 66,000 electric delivery trucks in the next five years. The spending includes $3 billion in funding approved under a landmark climate and health policy adopted by Congress last year.