Zap Nabs Contract for USPS Electric Mail Truck

Electric vehicle manufacturer Zap scored a big victory this week by landing the contract to design and build an electric mail truck for the U.S. Postal Service.

Zap will convert a standard gas-powered mail truck to a plug-in vehicle and conduct field trials in the Washington, D.C., metro area later this year. Electricity makes a good deal of sense for mail trucks, which average 10.4 mpg and frequently travel at low speeds with the engine idling between stops.

Although the project remains only a trial, if legislators such as Democratic U.S Rep. Jose Serrano of New York have their way, the number of EV mail trucks could quickly swell. The American Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Act calls for allocating $1.86 billion to replace gas-powered trucks with EVs, which means roughly 20,000 vehicles.

To put that figure in some perspective, USPS estimates that it spent $1.1 billion on fuel costs for its fleet last year.

Comments

hurray for ZAP and the USPS.

this feels like a perfect appliction for both

New energy, new opportunities! ZAP Vans beat the gasoline up. We are waiting for your show time. Keep going!

I think ZAP is surrounded by governments’ supports.

100% electric transportation, awesome!

http://zapglobal.wordpress.com

There are so many opportunities for EV in Chinese Market these days. Wish we could have the same postal vans in China.

There is a strong Chinese government behind ZAP in China. There will be so many opportunities for ZAP to explore China EV market.

ZAP you are saving our country. I love your Alias.

You will be the hero if the gasoline companies are getting bankrupt.

Proud to be a Zap investor and placed this Zap news on front page of ElectricVehicleEV.com

Bravo!Zap is converting them to EV one organization at a time.
ConvertToEV.com

Will never work...too many stupid people at USPS headquarters wasting money....on their bonuses for running the company into the ground!!!!

Wow, it is always exciting and encouraging to hear about government and large corporations getting behind the idea of electric cars.

It's always a little less exciting knowing that it will be executed poorly, or not at all, due to the fact the government and large corporations are involved.

Just how well is a electric vehicle going to power through snow like we have had recently? Not being critical just wondering If It would drain the battereies trying to get through such a snow. The what? Run a extension cord to someones outside socket for a boost?

$1.86 billion to modify 20,000 vehicles is $93,000 per truck. If we assume that gasoline costs $2.50 per gallon, that each vehicle was getting 10 mpg, and that electricity is free, then it each vehicle needs to be driven 372,000 miles to recoup the cost of conversion. Good luck!

http://www.wired.com/cars/futuretransport/magazine/16-04/ff_zapped

Since then, Al Gore pointed to problems of global warming, companies have used increased awareness, arguing that they are going green. USPS is a green plan, however, USPS continues to push the hydrocarbons into the atmosphere with the mail truck. In the end, they have to use electric or hybrid vehicles. Keep in mind that probably will not happen in the near future. When this happens there will be a big change in the delivery of USPS facilities. Over time this could be useful, but the initial investment is likely to become too USPS.

On the other hand, we should expect that prices of diesel and gas continues to grow as governments continue to raise taxes on these fuels can be justified by the U.S. commitments to reduce global carbon emissions. USPS would be forced to pass this increase to consumers, further reducing the consumer wants to use this service.

http://www.besttruckcenter.com

If you plug it in the outlet, you are still using fuel but u cant see it. to make electric from coal, natural gas, or nuclear, is still using energy. so why? its still the same, the only differance is your not putting it in your tank. You plug it in and the electric company is still burning fuel in some way.