No interest in environmental protection: US Postal Service orders 165,000 new internal combustion delivery trucks
US postal trucks will have internal combustion engines for years to come. Because of environmental concerns, 15 states are now suing the new USPS fleet.
More and more alternatives for cleaner logistics and transport services are being chosen. This has been the discernible trend in many countries in recent years. But the US Postal Service is missing the boat again and ordering new internal combustion vehicles. Over the next ten years, 165,000 postal vehicles are to be delivered by the contracted company Oshkosh Defense. Only 10 per cent of these are to have an electric drive. Such a small percentage is considered by many to be insufficient and does not represent an effective reduction in the current environmental impact of the US Postal Service. With a consumption of 27.7 litres of petrol per 100 kilometres, the new cars are said to be almost as polluting as the 30-year-old delivery trucks that are about to be replaced. Particularly alarming is the further increase in fuel consumption, which can only increase due to the necessary stop-and-go traffic. It therefore comes as no surprise that, among others, 15 states and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have sued against the new acquisitions. The complaint was that the environmental compatibility of the new fleet would only be taken into account at a later stage. There are also concerns about the profitability of the project, which could turn out to be unprofitable after the current explosion in fuel prices. Post chief Louis DeJoy, still aligned in spirit with the Trump administration, ignores all objections. He does not want to order more e-driven delivery trucks until USPS can budget for them and has more experience with electric vehicles. In contrast, many competing companies, such as UPS or Fed-Ex, seem to be moving with the times. A largely all-electric fleet has already been ordered for the private parcel delivery company and will be on American roads in the future. Deutsche Post and DHL have also been able to gain some experience with their postal scooters and make deliveries in Germany, some of which are purely electric. Unfortunately, the Americans' mail will continue to be delivered at the expense of the environment.