The United States Postal Service (USPS) has unveiled a host of EV charging stations at its South Atlanta Sorting and Delivery Center that will be used to support the electrification of the service across the United States.
During the event hosted alongside White House officials, the USPS also showcased a host of freshly-delivered Ford E-Transit vans that will make up an important part of its fleet. The postal service has committed to introduce some 9,250 E-Transits through the end of 2024. These vans will initially be deployed in Georgia before expanding to other parts of the country throughout the year. The E-Transits to be used by USPS have three times the cargo capacity of the Grumman LLV delivery vehicles that it currently uses.
USPS will source electric delivery vehicles from other companies in addition to Ford and ultimately plans on having a fleet consisting of more than 66,000 EVs with at least 45,000 of them to be on the roads by 2028.
The first charging stations displayed by the postal service have been manufactured by Siemens and will be able to charge EVs overnight and get them ready for the next day’s deliveries. USPS intends on ultimately rolling out 14,000 EV chargers across the United States supplied by Siemens, Rexel/ChargePoint, and Blink.
Read: At Least 75% Of USPS NGDVs To Be Electric
“The improvements we need to achieve in sustainability are an integral outgrowth of the broader modernization efforts we have undertaken through our 10-year Delivering for America plan,” Postmaster Genera Louis DeJoy said at the event.
“As we transform our operating processes and invest in new automation, new technologies, and upgraded facilities and vehicles, we will generate significant efficiencies that reduce our costs, slash our carbon footprint and minimize waste. We are grateful for the support of Congress and the Biden Administration through Inflation Reduction Act funding, which helped enable the electrification in evidence here today,” DeJoy added.
