U.S. Postal Service Estimates EV Fleet Will Cost $3.3 Billion

The U.S. Postal Service released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement last month that analyzes a variety of proposed solutions for new purchases in the postal service fleet. The agency estimates that it would cost $3.3 billion or more to transition the postal service fleet to entirely electric. The proposed Build Back Better Plan would allocate $2.5 billion for the agency to buy electric vehicles and another $3.4 billion to install EV charging stations at post offices.

In the Environmental Impact Statement, the postal service proposes replacing up to 165,000 trucks with a fleet that is 10% electric and 90% internal combustion to save money. Environmental groups and EV advocates disagree with this plan, arguing that there is no reason to delay shifting the postal service fleet to all-electric. A group of EV interests represented by the Zero Emission Transportation Association stated:

“The USPS’s EIS shows a clear bias against EVs by excluding data, relying on unrealistic assumptions, and mistaking simple facts. The USPS’s preference to pursue an overwhelmingly polluting fleet will leave Americans worse off by ignoring the crucial public health benefits and necessary greenhouse gas pollution reduction that will derive from electrification.”

The U.S. Postal Service Fleet is one of the largest fleets in the U.S. government, and transitioning it to entirely electric would be a huge step forward in the Biden Administration's plans for an all-electric future.

Read the Environmental Impact Statement here.