Biden Administration To Buy 66,000 Electric Mail Trucks, Reducing USPS’s Carbon Emissions Greatly

The Biden administration and the U.S. Postal Service announced a plan to use a $9.6 billion investment to add 66,000 electric mail delivery trucks over the next five years.

The USPS currently utilizes 200,000 delivery vehicles. The funding, which will come partly from the Inflation Reduction Act, boosts Biden’s goal to reduce carbon emissions. The plan also includes the goal of only adding electric vehicles to the fleet beginning in 2026.

The Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy also announced plans to cut emissions and conserve energy.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump and who has not always seen eye-to-eye with President Joe Biden, indicated a change of heart from his 2021 announcement that 90% of the USPS fleet would be updated with fossil fuel-powered trucks.

“As I have said in the past, if we can achieve those objectives in a more environmentally responsible way, we will do so,” DeJoy said.

DeJoy added that he was never against buying electric vehicles but needed to make sure the mail would still be able to be delivered while being able to pay for the upgrades.

“The $3 billion provided by Congress has significantly reduced the risk associated with accelerating the implementation of a nationwide infrastructure necessary to electrify our delivery fleet,” DeJoy continued. “While most of the electric vehicle funding will continue to come from Postal Service revenues, we are grateful for the confidence that Congress and the Administration have placed in us to build and acquire what has the potential to become the largest electric vehicle fleet in the nation.”

Article by Rose Carter