The following article was published on Medium in March 2022.
Who killed an electrified United States Postal Service fleet? According to a Washington Post report the blame falls squarely on the shoulders of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and it’s a tragedy for the made in America movement potentially handing China another win.
Passenger cars are catnip for those seeking alpha and saving the planet. Yet, electrifying light duty vehicles (LDV) like mail trucks and delivery vans could be key to solving our climate woes and giving American manufacturing a comeback.
The USPS is the largest civilian user of government vehicles across the country. That’s why DeJoy’s decision to “upgrade” the fleet to 165,000 mail trucks powered by gas instead of electric is demoralizing for our industry and those that care about the climate crisis.
Only 1.5 percent of the entire federal fleet is electrified. This decision, over the objection of the White House, the EPA, and members of Congress, decreases our ability to be competitive with China by forcing manufacturers and their suppliers to continue investing in legacy vehicle components.
The National Resources Defense Council estimates that this decision will mean nearly 600,000 more megatons of carbon dioxide will fill our skies every year. This is because light duty vehicles, especially those following the typical “start and stop” delivery routes are the perfect market for electrification but also for polluting.
The decision to go all electric just makes logical business sense. Don’t take my word for it. A USPS survey from over a decade ago found 97 percent of the vehicles in their fleet, nearly all on fixed routes of about 18 miles per day, would be ideal for that type of transition.
As the CEO and founder of Sparkz, a next generation battery manufacturer re-inventing the supply chain, I know it could have been a once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity. Since the USPS study in 2009, battery makers have increased capacity and performance significantly. Sparkz is on the verge of increasing exponentially, while also reducing the costs.
Yet our industry cannot grow jobs and help meet global emission reduction goals if the electrification gap between China and the U.S. continues to grow. China now produces nearly 50 percent of all electric vehicles worldwide. European manufacturers make up another 25 percent. As the U.S. consumer demands more electric vehicles, suppliers will need more U.S. based manufacturers not only in passenger vehicles but, maybe more importantly, in other light duty modes.
The Biden Administration led by Secretary Jennifer Granholm has made securing the battery supply chain a priority of investment and policy. DeJoy’s action directly contradicts this important work. The boost manufacturers like us would have received from an all-electric USPS mail delivery truck fleet cannot be understated.
The electric boom in last mile delivery is already here despite the USPS decision.
Amazon invested $3.8 billion in Rivian. FedEx hopes to have 250,000 small and medium sized electric vehicles by 2040. Walmart has reserved 5,000 delivery vans from GM’s BrightDrop. UPS has made a significant investment in startup Arrival, while also reserving 10,000 vehicles.
Mr. DeJoy seems to want to run the USPS like many of these businesses. If that is the case, he probably should start acting like it.
