The converted vehicle will undergo field trials in the Washington, DC metropolitan area later this year. The USPS operates a fleet of approximately 142,000 LLVs with 218,684 vehicles traveling more than 1.25 billion miles each year. The USPS fleet consumed 444 million gallons of fuel in 2009, worth $1.1bn.
Rep Jose Serrano (D-New York) has introduced legislation demanding at least 20,000 electric vehicles to be put into service with the USPS to reduce fuel consumption. Rep Serrano has also allocated $1.86bn to the Energy Department and Postal Service to convert current mail trucks or manufacture new ones.
ZAP believes the use of electric mail trucks in the postal fleet could open a huge market opportunity for manufacturers of electric vehicles and have a positive impact on the environment by increasing efficiency while reducing air pollution and gasoline consumption.
