Just over a month ago, the United States Postal Service ended the years-long process of choosing a company to replace its long-running Grumman Long Life Vehicle (LLV) mail delivery vehicle by awarding a $6 billion dollar, 10-year contract to Oshkosh Defense. However, that decision didn’t go over well with three lawmakers, who recently called on USPS to freeze the contract amid some questionable stock trades and allegations of possible political influence. Now, 13 U.S. House Democrats are asking USPS to halt the implementation of the contract altogether.
The lawmakers, including Gerald Connolly, Jared Huffman, Tim Ryan, and Debbie Dingell, argue that the contract is in defiance of President Joe Biden’s recent executive order that directed the U.S. government to replace its entire fleet with electric vehicles. The automakers are urging USPS to delay the contract until a full review is completed and Biden’s three nominees for the Postal Board of Governors are installed in their new positions.
“Squandering this once-in-a-generation opportunity by spending billions of dollars on vehicles that will be custom-built for obsolescence – indeed, by the end of their operating lives they will be the last internal combustion fleet vehicles on the road – and defying President Biden’s Executive Order is utterly unacceptable,” the lawmakers wrote.
The Post Office’s contract with Oshkosh Defense calls for only 10 percent of the mail delivery services’ fleet to be converted to electric power. USPS has said that it can electrify its entire fleet by 2035 if it receives an additional $8 billion in funding. Regardless, one of the finalists for the contract – Workhouse Group – had proposed an all-electric fleet and was considered the favorite early on.
The Ford Transit was also in the running for the contract but ultimately lost out to Oshkosh, though it’s possible that Ford might still supply engines for the new mail delivery vehicles.
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Comments
Some postal routes need an engine, especially during winter. So each station must be allowed to choose hybrids instead of all electrics.
This is the bigger issue. Cold weather range on an EV is pretty terrible.
The Commie-pinkos flexing their muscle again. Do it our way or no way. You wanted it, you got it. (Fake election)
Yikes. So by fake election, do you mean you voted for a candidate, they lost, then said candidate sued just about everyone they could, lost all those, then the head lawyer for said candidate’s lawsuits says that “No reasonable person would believe our claims” as defense when sued by a voting machine company? Is that what you’re referring to?
The fascist supporting slobs on here don’t care about the facts. Their feelings are valid enough, lol. Great job breaking down their absurd assertions though. When you lay it out like that you wonder why their brains are so broken and damaged.
Good luck in Northern Michigan when it’s 20 below zero.
Good. That thing is the most UGLIEST thing I’ve ever scene in my life and looks like something straight out of a cartoon. Not to mention this could leave a door open to the Transit EV or the Rivian Amazon delivery truck.
Where are these legislators from? At least one is from Ohio, the losing state.
No matter what kind of transport vehicle USPS utilizes in future, it will still require government funding to survive. So question, is there such a thing as Free Delivery? Why do taxpayers have to continue bailing out mismanaged government entities?
Exactly. The $ Trillion F-35 being the current champ in that area.
Exactly. The $ Trillion F-35 disaster being the current champ in that area. But the way that contract was given to a defense contractor, instead of a civilian auto maker start up, in the rust belt where jobs were promised, for the new mail trucks was sleazy, and has kickback stamped all over it.
While EV’s are not practical in every area, they could certainly represent the bulk of the fleet. All of the major auto makers, including Ford, are committing to EV manufacture in the future, and the supporters of oil companies are going to have to accept that fact.
Democrats need to renegotiate for their cut. The commitment of the contract is null and void because they didn’t get their cut last time. The whole point is to put our economy on the ash heap of history and make Marxism victorious.
The Oshkosh proposal is clearly the better choice and a natural, logical progression in postal vehicle evolution. Current EV technology is too primitive (and political) to be rolled out on a national scale for postal use at the moment.
Regarding the unfortunate political statements above: The current ‘international emergency’ has been centuries in the making. Early christian gnosticism mated with judeo ‘sabbatean frankism’ in the 16th century produced the current nightmare. Looking for insight? ‘200 Years Together’ by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn is a good place to start. Yes, there are english translations (finally) but they are all ‘on line’ texts or downloadable PDF files. No printed english versions (no surprise there). Spencer J. Quinn’s comprehensive review of this landmark achievement can be found on UNZdotcom. Much insightful commentary follows.
Oshkosh doesn’t even have a prototype. Just a CG rendering. How is that a better choice? EV is anytking but primitive. That is why fords EV trucks will soon kill the EV competition.
These politicians and green deal fanatics can say all EV, but have no idea what that means. Recharging them at night at even a small post office would require an enormous electrical power grid to support it, requiring more fossil fuels than running a gas engine. Plus the initial cost of an EV vehicle and the lifetime costs are significantly higher than a gas engine.
All a post office needs is an outlet.
Reminds me of the time we were having a family get together at my river shelter. It’s more than 200′ from the house/breaker box so I have a single 30 amp line supplying electrical power to the shelter. My sister couldn’t understand if there were 6 outlets why she couldn’t operate 6 crock pots! The next discussion involved me explaining how she could rotate usage to get similar results. Fortunately there was plenty of beer in the cooler.
Having all these EVs recharging at the same time (not counting all the privately owned units were we to stop using IC vehicles ) means a massive increase needed in power generator and its distribution network. Most utilities are mandated to be able to supply all the electricity needed including when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing. This means a larger power plant footprint and building costs. When the sun and wind is plentiful they can’t operate plants at full power (and get paid) yet are stuck with these imbedded costs. The massive increase in the distribution network means more power lines. (NIMBY- “not in my back yard!”) Of course you can deregulate things and have multiple grid interconnections with other utilities to share your generating needs. You likely won’t get many positive responses if you poll Texas and Mississippi residents on how that’s working.
I think that the Republicans should hold up the appointment of the 3 Biden todies
to the Post Office Board of Govenors for about 2 years until the next mid-term elections.
Donald s Would have been in favor of saving the buggy whip makers and horse shoe makers because the horseless carriage will require finding oil in the ground, building refinery’s, putting gas stations in every city, along with building a massive road system for those new machines. Who could afford spending 1,000’s on a horseless carriage when a good horse is way cheeper and only takes oats to fuel him available from a feed store. Sometimes new tech is where we need to go to advance the future and by the way, GM thinks there is a future in selling EV’s to everyone. Don’t be a Debbie Downer, we replaced the blacksmith with the auto Mechanic and more jobs were created through the auto industry that anyone could have imagined back in the 1890’s. We drive at 75 mph and I’m glad I don’t have to ride a horse to get to work or go to the store. I still ride, but not because I have too get somewhere. Now we have to switch to solar and electric renewables so we can save the planet. New tech means new jobs! Embrace the change and plan for the future!
You make some good points and I would add that all electric is way easier to maintain and build.
But, and I think this is a big but, there is still room for efficient ICE postal vehicles in cold and rural environments so we should have both
Ford was backing Workhorse, assembly probably would have included a majority of ford parts. As the current LLVs (mail truck with a 2nd window on the left side) are essentially a 2001 Ford Explorer base with: shorter front axle, aluminum body frame, sliding doors (preferred by carriers), no A/C, 2×4.
The work horse would be all wheel drive and electric “boogie woogie woogie” .
Workhorse also has an experimental drone delivery out of the truck (check youtube) so drivers can put <5lb package in drone basket, launch it via a gps map screen. Keep delivering mail – and the drone returns automatically (hopefully there aren't too many trees like my neighborhood).
Current Postal LLV is GM Chevy S-10 Drive train, 4 cyl iron duke.
Ford and Oshkosh were paired together. Your statements are completely inaccurate
If the politicians truly wanted to be useful, the new vehicle design should substitute one of them instead of the regular airbag. Just sayin’.
A question many seem to be avoiding: At what point will the electrical grid be capable of supporting a massive EV infrastructure? Sources of the needed electricity? Similar issues arise with proponents for ethanol blended gasolines. Only one upside: burns slightly cleaner. All downsides otherwise. A sustainable EV infrastructure will be a reality, just not any time soon.
So more jobs lost due to the Biden Misfits.I am sure that Oshkosh had plans for doing the 10 percent of the fleet to be electric.Now all the effort and money that Oshkosh has spent to get the contract over the last 4-5 years is all lost. Biden has really f_____up everything
The endless corruption in our government, wasteful spending making big government bigger for the SWAMP