Should the Postal Service Go Electric Sooner?

Jay Ramey
·3 min read
Photo credit: Jeep
Photo credit: Jeep

From Autoweek

  • The Oshkosh Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV) will begin to replace the boxy and rumbling Grumman LLV as the primary delivery vehicle of the USPS starting in 2023.

  • Some EV supporters insist the USPS should have delayed the design of the new mail delivery vehicles until a dedicated EV was ready and installation of a charger network underway.

  • Chime in with your thoughts on whether the USPS should've waited, or if the compromise as it stands was the most prudent move.

The United States Postal Service made news last week by unveiling a rendering of its next purpose-built mail delivery vehicle, one that will replace a model whose design is nearly 35 years old. The Oshkosh Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV) will begin to replace the boxy and rumbling Grumman LLV starting in 2023, featuring a whole host of modern safety features that the Grumman never received, as well as greater comfort and convenience for the driver. 35 years of progress in automotive tech should be an eye-opening experience for mail carriers, most of whom had joined the USPS well after the Grumman arrived, and perhaps might not have even been in one of the old DJ-5 Jeeps that it replaced.

The USPS also made news by not going electric, at least not right away, preferring to equip the NGDV with small and efficient gasoline engines. It did confirm the NGDV’s design will allow for EV drivetrains to be retrofitted once they arrive, but just when and how this will happen has yet to be detailed. Seeing as we're yet two years away from the debut of the NGDV, it may be a while until we actually see an electric one even in prototype form.

It could well be that by the time the electric ones land, solid-state batteries will be the dominant battery type on the market, and Level 4 autonomy could be commonplace.

Photo credit: Hearst Owned
Photo credit: Hearst Owned

A big part of the reason is cost, of course, for both for EV vehicle technology and the charging infrastructure. Before the NGDV can be manufactured in electric form, each post office would need to have enough chargers to juice up overnight all the EVs it owns. With over 31,300 post offices in the US, that's a lot of chargers. If the USPS made the choice to go electric all at once, it would easily be the single largest owner of EV charging stations in North America.

From that perspective, the USPS needed new mail delivery vehicles sooner than it needed electric vehicles.

Some EV supporters insist the USPS should have delayed the design and order of the new mail delivery vehicles until a readymade EV was good to go and installation of a charger network underway. A gradual phase-in of EVs post office by post office has also been suggested, to take place over the course of 10 years, with offices continuing to rely on Grumman LLVs where necessary until EV replacements arrive.

The question of whether the USPS would have been able to keep using Grumman LLVs through the end of the current decade while simultaneously phasing in EVs is a difficult one given the USPS' budget—and costs associated with the continued upkeep of the Grumman fleet, most of which stretches back to the 1990s.

The NGDV will be seen as a necessary compromise by some and a missed opportunity by others, even if all goes as planned and the NGDVs are eventually converted to electric power.

Should the USPS have waited until an EV replacement was truly ready, or is an EV retrofit the most realistic plan?

Let us know in the comments below.

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  • IHC Announces Agreement to Sell Standard Security Life Insurance Company of New York to Reliance Standard

    STAMFORD, Conn., April 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Independence Holding Company (NYSE: IHC) today reported its agreement to sell Standard Security Life Insurance Company of New York to Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, a member of the Tokio Marine Group. On April 14, 2021, Independence Holding Company (NYSE:IHC) (“IHC”) and its wholly owned subsidiary Independence Capital Corp. (“ICC”) entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company (“Reliance Standard”) to sell all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of Standard Security Life Insurance Company of New York, an insurance company domiciled in the State of New York and wholly owned subsidiary of ICC (“Standard Security”), for an aggregate purchase price of $180 million in cash. In addition, in accordance with the Purchase Agreement, at closing, Standard Security will make a dividend to ICC in an amount equal to the excess of the aggregate statutory capital and surplus of Standard Security as of the closing date over $53 million. Standard Security had statutory capital and surplus of $64.6 million at December 31, 2020. The closing of the transaction, the closing dividend and certain other items are subject to customary closing conditions including applicable regulatory approvals, one of which is the approval of the New York State Department of Financial Services. Raymond James & Associates acted as financial advisor to IHC and both Dentons and Clifford Chance provided external legal counsel in connection with this transaction. About Independence Holding Company Through our subsidiaries, Independence Holding Company (NYSE: IHC) underwrites and distributes health, group disability and life, New York State DBL and paid family leave, and pet insurance. IHC underwrites policies in all 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands through our three carriers: Independence American Insurance Company, Standard Life Insurance Company of New York and Madison National Life Insurance Company, Inc. We also distribute products nationally through multiple channels, including our agencies, call centers, advisors, direct and affinity relationships, Web Broker, and web properties, including www.healthedeals.com; www.healthinsurance.org; www.medicareresources.org; www.petplace.com; and www.mypetinsurance.com. To learn more visit https://ihcgroup.com/. Forward-looking Statements Certain statements and information contained in this release may be considered “forward-looking statements,” such as statements relating to management's views with respect to future events and financial performance. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical experience or from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, economic conditions in the markets in which IHC operates, new federal or state governmental regulation, IHC’s ability to effectively operate, integrate and leverage any past or future strategic acquisition, and other factors which can be found in IHC’s other news releases and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. IHC expressly disclaims any duty to update its forward-looking statements unless required by applicable law. CONTACT: Loan Nisser (203) 358-8000www.IHCGroup.com

  • Citigroup Q1 profit more than trebles as it announces shake-up of consumer business in Asia and EMEA

    Citigroup Inc. shares jumped 3% in premarket trade Thursday, after the bank posted record profit for the first quarter as it released $1.8 billion from its loan loss reserves and announced a shake-up of its Asia and EMEA consumer banking business. The company posted net income of $7.9 billion, or $3.62 as share, for the quarter, more than triple the $2.5 billion, or $1.06 a share, posted in the year-earlier period. Revenue edged down to $19.3 billion from $20.7 billion. The FactSet consensus was for $2.60 in EPS and $18.8 billion of revenue. "It's been a better than expected start to the year, and we are optimistic about the macro environment," Chief Executive Jane Fraser said in a statement. The record net income was driven by a strong performance at the bank's institutional clients group and the big release from loan loss reserves/ And while global consumer banking revenue was down sequentially due to the pandemic, "this is the healthiest we have seen the consumer emerge from a crisis in recent history," she said. Citi is now planning to overhaul its global consumer banking business to focus in areas it has the greatest scale and growth potential. The bank will focus its presence in Asia and EMEA on four centers; Singapore, Hong Kong, the UAE and London. It will close its consumer franchises in 13 centers, namely Australia, Bahrain, China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. Citi had $666 billion of loans at quarter-end, down 8% from a year ago. Deposits stood at $1.3 trillion, up 10%. Shares have gained 18% in the year to date, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 have both gained about 10%.

  • Fees optional: Harbison sponsors local bill to waive Alabama's lifetime pistol permit fee

    Apr. 15—Cullman County residents could be off the hook for the $300 lifetime concealed carry permit fee that the Alabama Legislature approved as part of a broader gun bill last week — that is, if a new local bill sponsored by State Rep. Corey Harbison (R-Good Hope) makes it to the governor's desk. Harbison said Wednesday that the House is expected to vote on HB607, the bill he crafted to make ...

  • ISU soccer falls in heartbreaking fashion

    Apr. 15—If soccer was a game of creating chances, Indiana State's women's team would be heading to Chicago on Sunday to play for the Missouri Valley Conference championship. However, soccer is a game of taking chances, and though it had fewer of them, Valparaiso is headed to Loyola instead. The Sycamores, who had their best season in school history, suffered a cruel fate in Wednesday's MVC ...

  • Anger and violence is the understandable reaction when racism rarely faces consequence

    The ‘right kind’ of justice for racism is rarely forthcoming, writes Vithushan Ehantharajah, as Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara would have known only too well when he reacted to abuse in a Europa League game

  • U.S. imposes sanctions targeting Russian economy over SolarWinds hack, election interference

    The Biden administration announced it will sanction dozens of Russian officials and entities, expel 10 diplomats from the U.S., and set new restrictions on buying sovereign debt in response to the massive SolarWinds hack of federal agencies and interference in the 2020 election.Why it matters: The sweeping acts of retaliation are aimed at imposing heavy economic costs on Russia, after years of sanctions that have failed to deter an increasingly aggressive and authoritarian President Vladimir Putin.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeDetails: The package of sanctions will bar U.S. banks from buying Russian government bonds directly from the the country's central bank, sovereign wealth fund and ministry of finance beginning June 14, complicating Russia's ability to raise money in international capital markets.Six Russian technology companies will be sanctioned for providing support for Russian intelligence's cyber activities, while 32 entities and individuals will be designated for their role in the Kremlin's election interference campaign.Ten intelligence officers working under diplomatic cover in the U.S. will be expelled.In partnership with the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada, the U.S. will also sanction eight individuals and entities for their role in Russia's ongoing occupation of Crimea.The administration said it has "high confidence" that Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) carried out the SolarWinds hack, which Microsoft President Brad Smith has called "the largest and most sophisticated attack the world has ever seen."Thursday's sanctions will not be tied to allegations that Russia paid Afghan militants to attack U.S. troops. The administration said that "given the sensitivity of the matter," the issue will be "handled through diplomatic, military and intelligence channels."The big picture: On his second day in office, Biden ordered the intelligence community to conduct a review into Russia's "reckless and adversarial actions" spanning four areas: election interference, the SolarWinds hack, the poisoning and jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and reports of Russian bounties on U.S. troops in Afghanistan.The U.S. sanctioned seven senior Russian officials in March after assessing "with high confidence" that Federal Security Service (FSB) officers poisoned Navalny using the nerve agent Novichok.Two weeks later, U.S. intelligence released a report assessing that Putin authorized election influence operations aimed at denigrating Biden's candidacy.Driving the news: The announcement comes two days after President Biden held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and proposed a summit "in a third country in the coming months."Biden also warned Putin against further "cyber intrusions and election interference" and raised concerns over Russia's massing of forces on the border with eastern Ukraine, which CIA Director William Burns said Wednesday is now large enough for a "limited military incursion."The other side: "We condemn any sanction aspirations. We believe they are illegal. In any case, the principle of reciprocity applies in this case. Reciprocity will meet our interests in the best possible way," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.

  • Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez announce breakup in TODAY exclusive

    The two said in a joint statement that they are “better as friends” and will continue to support each other in their shared ventures.