USPS starts the switch to EVs with 9,250 vans

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service is buying 9,250 Ford Motor Co. electric vans and 14,000 charging stations as part of a move to switch its fleet to electric vehicles.

The service also is buying another 9,250 internal combustion vans from Fiat Chrysler in North America, now part of Amsterdam-based Stellantis.

The Fiat Chrysler and Ford vehicles together will cost just over $1 billion, USPS said.

The gas-powered vehicles fill an urgent need, the Postal Service said in a statement this week.

Dearborn, Michigan-based Ford will start delivering the left-hand-drive E-Transit vans in December of this year, while Fiat Chrysler will start shipping the left-hand-drive gas-powered vehicles in November.

Contracts totaling $260 million for the charging stations went to Blink Charging Co., Siemens Industry Inc., and Rexel USA Energy Solutions, the Postal Service statement said.

Charging stations will be installed at several Postal Service facilities, including sorting and delivery centers, starting in the third quarter of this year.

In December, the Postal Service said it would sharply increase the number of electric-powered delivery trucks — and will go all-electric for new purchases starting in 2026.

The postal service said it is spending nearly $10 billion to electrify its aging fleet, including installing a modern charging infrastructure at hundreds of postal facilities across the country and purchasing at least 66,000 electric delivery trucks in the next five years.

The spending includes $3 billion in funding approved under a landmark climate and health policy adopted by Congress last year.