Seeing new USPS EV vehicles in Atlanta? here’s why

ATLANTA — The United States Postal Service (USPS) unveiled its first electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at the South Atlanta Sortation and Delivery Center (S&DC) in January, and residents are starting to see them pop up.

This deployment marks the start of a national initiative to electrify the USPS delivery fleet. This project, part of the 10-year Delivering for America® plan, aims to install electric vehicle infrastructure and deploy more than 66,000 electric delivery vehicles.

“In every neighborhood in America, people know their postal carrier and recognize the USPS vehicle driving down their street,” said John Podesta, senior advisor to the president for clean energy innovation and implementation. “The work the USPS is doing to electrify these vehicles makes electric vehicles commonplace on every road and street across our nation, while reducing air pollution and increasing the comfort and safety of the dedicated public servants who deliver our mail.”

The USPS introduced new battery-powered commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) delivery vehicles at an event in January that will first roll out in Georgia before expanding nationally. The EV chargers, manufactured by Siemens, Rexel/ChargePoint and Blink, will efficiently power the USPS electric fleet overnight.

“By transforming our operational processes and investing in new automation, new technologies and improved facilities and vehicles, we will generate significant efficiencies that will reduce our costs, reduce our carbon footprint and minimize waste,” said the Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. “We are grateful for the support of Congress and the Biden Administration through funding for the Inflation Reduction Act, which helped enable the electrification on display here today.

South Atlanta S&DC is one of hundreds of centers expected to receive this new infrastructure, which will improve mail and package delivery. The USPS plans to acquire 21,000 COTS electric vehicles, including 9,250 from Ford, and add at least 45,000 battery-electric Next Generation Delivery Vehicles (NGDVs) by 2028. This effort represents the one of the largest commitments to vehicle electrification in the country.

The Delivering for America 10-year plan aims to continually improve USPS operations and sustainability. For more information about USPS sustainability efforts, visit about.usps.com.