Is the future of mailing...electric?
Earlier this month, the United States Postal Service unveiled its plan to incorporate charging stations and electric delivery vehicles. The plan accounted for a $40 billion investment to improve its “processing, transportation, and delivery networks.”
Two days later, Canoo announced that USPS had purchased six of its battery-electric vehicles.
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“The multi-purpose platform with steer-by-wire technology and a unique low-profile suspension system allows for a readily configurable right-hand drive system while maintaining desired roll and ride stability,” said Tony Aquila, Investor, Executive Chairman, and CEO of Canoo.
The pod-like van is an LDV 190 model with features such as a bird’s eye view camera, blind spot monitoring, and park distance warning. The vehicle is a two-seater weighing 4,740 pounds, with a payload of 1,763 pounds. Images of the vehicle on the Canoo website are considered pre-production level.
“Final production vehicle features, specifications, and performance metrics are subject to change and will vary based on version and configuration,” the website said. Other companies like Canoo have tagged along the “electrification and modernization” process of USPS.
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Last year, Ford Motor Company announced its collaboration with the Postal Service to provide 9,250 E-Transit vans through the end of 2024. The goal was to procure a total of 21,000 EVs and develop about 45,000 battery-electric Next Generation Delivery Vehicles by 2028.
“The work USPS is doing to electrify those vehicles is making EVs commonplace on every road and street in our country,” said John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation. “While [also] reducing air pollution and increasing comfort and safety for the dedicated public servants who deliver our mail.”
Information about where the Canoo pod-like EV vans will be deployed is unavailable. Canoo operates in California, Texas, Oklahoma, and Michigan.
