In The News

Whether it was delivering packages via locomotive or launching 3,000 letters inside a guided missile, the U.S. Postal Service has always pushed the envelope when it comes to transportation. But with its fleet of aging delivery trucks -- and limited funds -- the agency needs another innovation.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/03/AR2010030304085.html
Washington Post
Nicole Norfleet, March 4, 2010

The University of Delaware's vehicle-to-grid technology drove onto the world's stage at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) on Friday, Feb. 19, in San Diego, offering a mode of mobility that's “green” in more ways than one.

http://www.udel.edu/udaily/2010/feb/aaasv2g022310.html
UDaily, University of Delaware
March 1, 2010

America’s national security and our economy would improve if we enact laws in 2010 that will reduce the dependence of U.S. transportation upon oil. Doing so would also reduce transportation’s carbon footprint. There are a number of bipartisan bills with widespread stakeholder support that would achieve all of these goals.

http://thehill.com/special-reports-archive/757-energy-...
The Hill
Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, February 22, 2010

In the e-mail era, the U.S. Postal Service seems hardly plugged in -- but at least it wants its vehicles to be. The postal service has awarded contracts to several California firms to develop a prototype postal van that would run on electricity. The contracts are part of the service's effort to determine whether it can convert some, or even all, of its 142,000 delivery vans to electricity.

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/feb/16/business/la-fi-electric-vehicle16-2010feb16
Los Angeles Times
Jerry Hirsch, February 16, 2010
http://www.philly.com/philly/business/technology/022210_electric_postal_vans.html
Philly.com
Jerry Hirsch, February 16, 2010

Most of the 220,000 U.S. Postal Service vehicles only travel 20 to 25 miles per day making them a good match with the range of an electric vehicle. Hundreds of stops make hybrids and electrics ideal for capturing braking energy and regenerating the batteries.

http://www.cleantechblog.com/2010/02/usps-may-buy-20000-hybrid-and-electric.html
Cleantech Blog
John Addison, February 15, 2010

With around 260,000 vehicles at its disposal, the United States Postal Service operates the biggest civilian fleet in the country. Unfortunately, most of those vehicles get terrible gas mileage: the Grumman postal van only earns around 10mpg, and the 17% of USPS trucks that run on E85 don't fare any better.

http://www.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1042211_congress-considers-adding-20000-electric-vehicles-to-usps-fleet
The CarConnection.com
Richard Read, February 2, 2010

Backers of Measure Launch Special Website to Promote Its Passage

"The check is in the mail" could take a whole new meaning if a New York congressman and two electric-vehicle advocates have anything to say about it. A bill introduced last month would direct as much as $2 billion toward converting about 15% of the U.S. Postal Service's highly inefficient fleet of 142,000 local-delivery vehicles to electric drive over a three-year period.

http://blogs.edmunds.com/greencaradvisor/2010/01/bill-would-grant...
Edmunds.com Green Car Advisor blog
Danny King, January 26, 2010

A flurry of lobbying activity may yet put a fleet of electric delivery vans into service at the U.S. Postal Service, reports AutoBlog Green. The House of Representatives introduced the e-Drive bill in December, which would allow for 20,000 electric delivery vans and a network of 24,000 charging stations, but that bill (PDF) has gone nowhere.

http://www.environmentalleader.com/2010/01/26/usps-may-get-electric-vehicles-sooner-rather-than-later/
Environmental Leader
January 26, 2010

Old news: that the USPS has used electric vehicles (EVs) since at least 1899.
Newer news: that Congressman Jose Serrano introduced a bill – called the American Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Act or "e-Drive" (H.R. 4399) last December for the USPS to use a fleet of 20,000 electric delivery vans and to get a network of 24,000 charging stations (with more to come). There is a summary of the bill here (PDF).

http://green.autoblog.com/2010/01/25/usps-congress-moving-forward-with-electric-vehicle-plan
Autoblog Green
Sebastian Blanco, January 25, 2010

As a kid, seeing postal trucks drive, stop,turn off, restart, or drive, stop, and drive, first put the idea in my head that idling didn't make sense, especially for delivery vehicles. The USPS has had several unsuccessful experiments with EVs. Finally a savvy coalition is coming together to do it right. It starts with "e-Drive," H.R. 4399, a bill recently introduced by NY Rep. Jose Serrano with bipartisan co-sponsors, and a just-unveiled website to build a support campaign.

http://www.calcars.org/calcars-news/1089.html
CalCars - The California Cars Initiative
January 25, 2010

Under the tenents of House legislation introduced Dec. 17, the United States Postal Service will acquire and begin testing the use of all-electric mail delivery trucks. If approved, the bill would help the Postal Service green its large mail delivery fleet and jumpstart the nation's electric vehicle industry, said Rep. José Serrano, D-N.Y., who introduced the legislation along with five cosponsors, including Reps. Russ Carnahan, D-Mo., Charles Gonzalez, D-Texas, Steve Israel, D-N.Y., Dan Maffei, D-N.Y., and Lee Terry, R-Neb.

http://www.etrucker.com/apps/news/article.asp?id=84033
etrucker.com
December 30, 2009

Today as my postal carrier's rumbling old van heaved to a stop and planted itself in front of my mailbox while delivering Christmas card cheer, I could not help but imagine how much more pleasant it might be for me, the mailman and the air if that same van were electric.

http://blogs.pluginamerica.org/outreach/2009/12/going-postal.html
Plug In America blog
Linda Nicholes, December 23, 2009

WASHINGTON-Legislation that would allocate a portion of the United States Postal Services 146,000 delivery vehicles was introduced by a New York-based Congressman last week. The bill-H.R. 4399, The American Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Act or "e-Drive" is led by Representative Jose E. Serrano. According to Serrano's office, the main objective of the bill is to begin a process of testing and deploying 20,000 electric-drive delivery vehicles for the USPS. The office said that not only would this effort provide the USPS with significant environmental benefits and fuel savings, it would position the USPS fleet as a "key energy storage asset for the nation's power grid" through vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology.

http://www.logisticsmgmt.com/article/441469...
Logistics Management
Jeff Berman, December 22, 2009

In light of the introduction last week of Congressman José E. Serrano's new legislation - H.R. 4399, The American Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Act or "e-Drive" - MST and Parcel wanted to ask an early proponent of this concept, PRC Chairman Ruth Goldway, her impressions of this legislation and the whole concept of "greening" the USPS fleet.

http://www.mailingsystemstechnology.com/ME2/dirmod...
Mailing Systems Technology
December 22, 2009

The U.S. Postal Service would become the guinea pig for testing 20,000 electric vehicles under House legislation introduced Dec. 17. If approved, the bill would help the Postal Service green its large mail delivery fleet and jumpstart the nation's electric vehicle industry, said Rep. José Serrano, D-N.Y., who introduced the legislation along with five cosponsors. The bill would provide up to $2 billion for an Energy Department program in which vehicle manufacturers would compete for grants to build electric vehicles for testing by the Postal Service.

http://electric-vehicles-cars-bikes.blogspot.com/2009/12/bill-looks-to-invest-2-billion-in.html
Electric Vehicle News
December 19, 2009
http://www.federaltimes.com/article/20091218/DEPARTMENTS02/912180303/1018/DEPARTMENTS
FederalTimes.com
Tim Kauffman, December 18, 2009