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USPS should probably go EV, but they wont: 16 states sue USPS to block truck purchase
- Thread starter Watts_Up
- Start date
thesmokingman
Active Member
I swear that is an abomination! Platypus' everywhere want their beak back.
ATPMSD
Active Member
The suit is to block the puchase of ICE trucks:
"Sixteen states, the District of Columbia and environmental activist groups are suing the U.S. Postal Service to block its purchase of 148,000 gas-guzzling delivery trucks over the next decade, alleging the agency has vastly underestimated the vehicles’ costs and adverse ecological impact."
"Sixteen states, the District of Columbia and environmental activist groups are suing the U.S. Postal Service to block its purchase of 148,000 gas-guzzling delivery trucks over the next decade, alleging the agency has vastly underestimated the vehicles’ costs and adverse ecological impact."
MontyFloyd
Member
Elon/Tesla can have this built, to better specs, more efficient, more features, better operator experience, contracted completed in 3 months (if want to), on budget and with tidy profit.
That is the difference between true free bidding and political wheeling and dealing (this time due to Republicans)
Someone ask Elon if he will take a look?
(how I think it can be done it start with a Model Y chassis, 1/4 the battery, single front motor, and a large box on back end. With the "cell" system used in Austin, could be built at same time, being 10% of total capacity.)
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ATPMSD
Active Member
This is really funny. Tesla keeps raising prices and changing EDDs all over the place, and to my knowledge has never met a delivery deadline that it set for itself.
MontyFloyd
Member
To kind of play devil's advocate on this, while I agree postal trucks seems like a prime use case for EVs, 10,000 out of 50,000 vehicles ordered being EVs for a vehicle that's never been produced by a company that doesn't have much (any?) experience building electric vehicles for a task which hasn't used electric vehicles at all up to now seems actually like a big bet. It doesn't really seem like a bad idea to let a production run go through a round, see if they're actually able to produce 10,000 in the first place, and then take some time to see how well they operate for the USPS workflow when they're in use, before insisting we go all in on it. Are there other countries that have converted their mail fleets to EVs, or have gotten a start on the process? Difficult to muster a google search that doesn't just pop up variations of this story.
MontyFloyd
Member
BEV's are mainstream now. The time for caution has passed.
The company needs to prove they can build a BEV before submitting contract. And insist on BEV.
ATPMSD
Active Member
I disagree. There is only one company that is delivering fully fleshed out EVs, and that is Tesla. Everyone else is just getting started. Yes, we have some cars like the Leaf, but that hardly makes BEVs mainstream. Also, BEVs are not ready for mainstream users; they remain the domain of early adopters who are willing to tolerate the shortcomings and growing pains we are having to endure.
Given your point of veiw please explain what is going on in Scandinavia and Europe.
ATPMSD
Active Member
I do not have visibility in those countries. As you know, here is the U.S. common sense Is uncommon, instead we have self-serving politicians who do not do what is in the best interest for the country unless it happens to ensure they get re-elecited, which is why the law suit was filed in the first place.
Europe does so many things better than us, not all, but a lot!
ATPMSD
Active Member
Tam
Well-Known Member
Correct! That's how life works: Sometimes connections are better than experience and competency.
MontyFloyd
Member
I disagree to your disagree.
Everything needed to design and make BEV are freely available and plentiful (temporary shortages included), the workforce is rapidly expanding, the knowledge base exponentially growing, many standards are on the books, dozens of companies furiously working to make BEV.
Only lazy/greedy/corrupted companies will not make a BEV mail truck.
Will say this part of your statement is perfect, however.
Workhorse is also an example of how easily south this endeavor can go. They received 25 million from the Federal government in 2018 to develop the pictured vehicle, by 2022 they've produced less than 50, had to recall all of them, and have now officially "retired" the vehicle after determining it can't really meet the expectations of its commercial customers.WorkHorse has been in business since 2018 and it has been delivering last-mile EVs in the delivery chain. It could easily supply 165,000 replacements for the current gas guzzler USPS fleet.
Tam
Well-Known Member
Correction on the source of funding: Not from the government. The money came from private investors:
Workhorse Group raises $25M to fund R&D, completion of electric van
Workhorse Group secured $25M in funding to help finalize development of its NGEN electric delivery vehicle.
www.freightwaves.com
AMPd
Well-Known Member
Mainstream: the ideas, attitudes, or activities that are regarded as normal or conventional;
BEV sales last year were less than 15% of autos sold in the US. Not even close to mainstream.
