Latest news with #NGDVs
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
USPS introduces changes to mail delivery, including zero-emission electric vehicles in Illinois
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — The United States Post Office will roll out zero-emission electric delivery vehicles on the streets of Rockford and other parts of Illinois as part of a series of taking effect this month aimed at improving efficiency and reducing costs. The changes come after former Postmaster General Louis DeJoy stepped down after with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to 'assist [USPS] in identifying and achieving further efficiencies.' That included a pledge to reduce spending and its workforce by 10,000 employees through an early retirement program. This month, mail delivery changes went into effect, including refining service standards for different classes of mail. USPS said 75% of first class mail deliveries would experience no change, but 14% would be upgraded to a faster standard while 11% would be delivered slower, with mail delivery taking no more than 5 days. 'Under the new approach, while most mail will retain the same service standard, some mail will have a faster standard, and some will have a slightly slower standard. For First-Class Mail, the current service standard day range of 1-5 days is staying the same, while the day ranges (the estimated delivery time) for end-to-end Marketing Mail, Periodicals, and Package Services are being shortened,' USPS . The Post Office also said the USPS Ground Advantage service would stay the same, and certain postage, like marketing materials, periodicals, and other packages, may be delivered even faster. USPS has a Service Standards Map to show expected delivery times from zip code to zip code. The Next Generation Delivery Vehicles (NGDVs), built by Oshkosh Defense, were showcased at the Rockford Sorting and Delivery Center on Wednesday as part of the first modernization of America's largest and oldest federal fleet. The outgoing Long Life Vehicle (LLV) debuted in 1987. The rollout is part of USPS' nearly $497 million investment in Illinois as part of a nationwide 10-year Delivering For America plan, which allocates $164 million for the purchase of modern, efficient vehicles; $7 million for charging infrastructure; $121 million to renovate 277 existing facilities and $82 million to build new ones; and more than $123 million to purchase 23 state-of-the-art package sorting machines. The USPS said the electric vehicles are purpose-built to meet the specific needs of the Postal Service, with improved visibility, air conditioning, ergonomic seating, increased cargo capacity, and a driver-friendly interface. Over the next five years, the northern Illinois region is set to receive dozens more electric and fuel-efficient vehicles. 'Through the Delivering for America plan, we are transforming and modernizing the Postal Service. The introduction of our new facilities and vehicles in Rockford is a clear demonstration of this progress,' said Acting Postmaster General and CEO Doug Tulino. The 10-year Delivering for America plan was launched in 2021. The Postal Service said it expects to save $36 billion in savings from transportation, mail processing, and facility cost reductions. The Postal Regulatory Commission Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
DOGE Caucus Targets USPS Electric Truck Contract
US Senate DOGE Caucus members have introduced a bill that seeks to cancel $3 billion in Inflation Reduction Act funding for EV contract for the USPS. The Postal Service had adopted an incremental approach to phasing in electric models into its next-gen fleet, which will eventually replace the decades-old Grumman mail delivery vans. The effort to electrify the USPS fleet has faced criticism even from EV supporters, who point out its slow and piecemeal pace as well as high costs. The plans of the United States Postal Service to phase in EVs into its fleet over an extended period of time, first announced in 2021, did not exactly overwhelm ZEV supporters with excitement. The incremental approach of the USPS envisioned replacing some of its vintage Grumman delivery vehicles with a newly designed but still internal-combustion-engined Oshkosh delivery vehicle that could be converted to EV power at some point in the future, along with purchases of off-the-shelf EVs from more familiar automakers as charging infrastructure permitted. Even this admittedly modest plan saw a measured if not glacial rollout, with the USPS opening the first set of charging stations only in January 2024 at an Atlanta depot. The launch of the charging stations was merely the first step of a 10-year plan, dubbed Delivering for America, that would see some off-the-shelf EVs including the Ford e-Transit along with conventionally powered and electric Oshkosh Next Generation Delivery Vehicles (NGDVs). Now, even these incremental efforts are facing scrutiny from lawmakers aligned with the new administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). US Senate DOGE Caucus Chair Joni Ernst (R-IA) and DOGE Subcommittee Congressman Michael Cloud (R-TX) have introduced a bill, dubbed the Return to Sender Act, that proposes to terminate the $3 billion that had been allotted under the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act to electrify a part of the USPS fleet, citing delays and other issues in the program. "The Biden administration's so-called Inflation Reduction Act funneled billions into a failed USPS EV project that has delivered nothing but delays, defective trucks, and skyrocketing costs," said Rep. Cloud. "Three years later, taxpayers are still waiting while the Postal Service refuses to provide basic transparency on where the money went. The Return to Sender Act takes back the $3 billion in taxpayer money that has been wasted in this project." In 2022 the USPS issued an estimate of just how its fleet electrification efforts would unfold throughout the decade, indicating that some 45,000 of its 60,000 NGDVs would be ordered as electric models, with off-the-shelf models from Ford and others contributing another 21,000 vehicles, though with the caveat "depending on market availability." In all, some 66,000 EVs were slated to join the USPS by 2028, electrifying just a portion of the service's fleet in a best-case scenario. At the time of the announcement of the 66,000 EV plan, the USPS still hedged the entire effort on eventual "operational feasibility," despite the cost of the entire investment estimated to hit $9.6 billion with $3 billion of that to be contributed by the Inflation Reduction Act. A large chunk of that investment would have also included thousands of EV chargers sourced from ChargePoint, Siemens, and Blink."The order needs to be canceled with the unspent money returned to sender, the taxpayers," Sen. Ernst said in a statement. "I am defunding this billion-dollar boondoggle to stamp out waste in Washington." The Trump administration, for its part, has made no secret of its contempt for the various EV efforts that were part of the Inflation Reduction Act, with President Trump issuing an executive order late in January to freeze funding disbursements under the IRA. However, it remains to be seen whether this legislative effort, and other parallel efforts, can cancel the existing contracts between the USPS and Oshkosh, as well as other manufacturers given that the fleet of Grumman LLVs has needed a replacement for some time. The NGDVs, which are slowly making their way into postal fleets, represent a significant leap in comfort and functionality over the old Grumman vehicles, as do the larger vans sourced from Ford and others. Should the USPS have adopted a faster track to electrify its fleet, if at all, or does the Postal Service have higher priorities? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Buzz Feed
12-02-2025
- Automotive
- Buzz Feed
The New USPS Truck Is Going Viral Again: "WTF Is Happening?"
In case you didn't know, the USPS truck got a fabulous new makeover. Long gone are the days of this stale-ass inefficient design. Say hello to the new one! So, the deal with the new USPS trucks, or Next Generation Delivery Vehicles (NGDVs), is that they're designed to be safer, more efficient, and better for the environment. Well, someone on X was a bit late to the trend and asked"Wtf is happening?" People immediately brought up the design. "You may not like it, but this is what peak performance looks like," this person said. "Children not getting hit by trucks," another person chimed in. And this person said: "Beyond this just being an obvious precaution to avoid running over children, I find this design very charming. It's like what cars look like in 50s cartoons." Other people also expressed their love of the new design. "These are fire, straight out of a cartoon. god bless usps for not picking some vanilla design that everyone will forget," this person said. "Cannot WAIT to get my hands on one of these babies. Driving around in a futuristic cartoon from the 80s," another person said. And this person said, "This is how I draw cars. Love it." Ultimately, I can't wait to see one of these things in the wild. As a fan of this Dr. Seuss-esque design, I love a car straight out of the Fairly OddParents.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
What are the new mail delivery vehicles being used in Topeka?
TOPEKA (KSNT) – The next generation of mail delivery vehicles are rolling into Kansas this year and may be spotted in a neighborhood near you. The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) announced in October last year it would be modernizing its fleet of mail delivery vehicles with the arrival of the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV). The new trucks are highlighted as being zero-emission and battery electric, providing for more environmentally-friendly deliveries nationwide. Tara Jarrett with the USPS told 27 News the agency has deployed more than 670 new delivery vehicles in Kansas. This includes eight of the NGDVs and 26 electric Ford E-Transits in the Topeka area alone. What new shops might move into West Ridge Mall in Topeka? USPS Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said these new electric vehicles will provide numerous benefits to the agency and its workers. He also said the addition of these new vehicles demonstrates that 'electrification and sustainability efforts can coexist' with each other. 'These new vehicles are enhancing safety for our employees, improving our capabilities to deliver on time and modernizing our operations,' DeJoy said. 'Our team deserves the best equipment as they work to serve 167 million addresses across the nation. The introduction of these new vehicles aligns with our operational strategy and financial health, setting us up for a future of improved service across the nation.' The USPS earlier announced plans in December 2022 that it would acquire more than 100,000 new vehicles, along with at least 66,000 battery-electric delivery vehicles. This is part of the Postal Service's 10-year Delivering for America Plan. Major I-70 work starts soon in Topeka, what to know For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
