$3B secured in Inflation Reduction Act to help Postal Service increase electric vehicle fleet

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - The United States Postal Service (USPS) said they will invest in charging infrastructure and deploy over 66,000 electric vehicles by 2028 in an announcement made on Tuesday. This will make a majority of new vehicle purchases electric for USPS.

U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee helped secure $3 billion in the Inflation Reduction Act to help the Postal Service purchase electric delivery trucks and invest in charging infrastructure.

Peters said in a statement that this would be a significant step to ensuring the Postal Service’s vehicle fleet is safer, more energy efficient, and cheaper to operate in the long run.

“Electric vehicles are the future of the automotive industry and that is why I worked to secure major investments for the Postal Service so they can purchase more electric delivery trucks as they continue to add more vehicles to their fleet,” said Peters. “I will continue my efforts to ensure the Postal Service is using funds from the Inflation Reduction Act effectively, push for every part of the postal fleet to be environmentally friendly and union-made, and ensure this essential institution provides timely service to the American people for generations to come.”

Previously, the Postal Service announced that they intended to expand certain electric vehicle purchase orders to at least forty percent. In April, Peters convened a committee briefing with USPS to discuss efforts to modernize the Postal Service’s aging delivery vehicle fleet. This includes acquiring electric vehicles and prioritizing union-made vehicles. In 2021, he sent a letter to Postal Service leadership urging them to prioritize the acquisition of electric vehicles to ensure the fleet is sustainable for the Postal Service and for our environment.

In 2020, Peters championed legislation to secure a $10 billion direct payment to the Postal Service to help recover from pandemic-related losses. He also conducted an investigation into operational changes at the Postal Service in 2020 that resulted in significant delays. Following Peters’ investigation, the Postal Service reversed many of these changes and service has significantly improved.