USPS Awards ZAP Engineering Contract for Electric Mail Truck
TweetSANTA ROSA, Calif., Feb. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — The United States Postal Service (USPS) has awarded electric car pioneer ZAP an engineering contract for the design and development of an electric version of its Long Life Vehicle (LLV).
ZAP will convert the gasoline mail truck to run on electricity as specified by the USPS at facilities in Santa Rosa, California. Following completion the converted vehicle will undergo field trials in the Washington, DC metropolitan area later this year. ZAP was selected along with four other firms in a competitive bid process held nationwide by the USPS.
Yesterday, US Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, D-California, toured ZAP’s facility, commenting on job creation by ZAP and the Postal Service: “I so appreciate ZAP for hanging in there all these years, knowing what we should be doing as a country. I think a majority of members of Congress, the House in particular, know that they were right and that this is where we need to be investing.” A video and slideshow of the tour are available at http://zapglobal.wordpress.com.
The USPS operates a fleet of approximately 142,000 LLVs as part of the largest civilian fleet in the world, according to USPS sources, with 218,684 vehicles traveling more than 1.25 billion miles each year. The USPS fleet consumed 444 million gallons of fuel in 2009, costing roughly $1.1 billion. Agency vehicles average 10.4 miles per gallon since most drive slowly and make frequent stops with the engine idling between mailboxes.
Rep. Jose E. Serrano (D-New York) has introduced legislation calling for at least 20,000 electric vehicles to be put into service with the USPS to reduce fuel consumption. Rep. Serrano also called for the allocation of $1.86 billion to the Energy Department and Postal Service to convert current mail trucks or manufacture new ones. H.R. 4399 entitled the American Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Act has been referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
ZAP believes the use of electric mail trucks in the postal fleet could be a multi-billion dollar market opportunity for manufacturers of electric vehicles and have a positive impact on the environment by increasing efficiency while reducing air pollution and gasoline consumption.
February 18th, 2010 13:23
already been done, what a waste. Nasa and the dept of energy built the equivelent of an LLV in the late 70′s, worked fairly well although only a 50 mile range (same problem as today ie: chevy volt) this truck was only electric, and 1 still exists in Wakefield Rhode Island. still has the nasa and dept of enegry sticker all over the parts.
anybody think of opening the file cabinates ?? or should we waste more money to find out what we already have on paper
leave it to the goverment
February 18th, 2010 13:28
So what your saying is that technology hasn’t changed since the 1970s?
February 18th, 2010 16:48
great idea postal fleet is perfect for this technolgy most postal vehicles only go about 15 miles a day. Lot of idle time and stop and go. should have done 25 years ago nobody cared 25 years ago fuel was cheap and as long as fuel prices keep jumping up and down electric makes more sense.