https://jalopnik.com/heres-the-secret-new-electric-u-s-postal-service-truck-1819339421 Here's The Secret New Electric US Postal Service Truck Oct 11, 2017 Jason Torchinsky
[images https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--U2sDE02I--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/lndrtskrfwf5ccbfbpxu.png https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--no9gWDkg--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/ap0k6pzytw9a7zgvjfoc.jpg Credit USPS https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--QeRLmB20--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/fdmzf7oxlzy20ouxoxob.png share TrucksDotCom @trucksdotcom Workhorse Group is one of the 5 finalists in the contest to build the postal service’s next delivery truck #Spyshots https://on.trucks.com/2g5Nykj 4:58 PM - Oct 9, 2017 ] I’m not sure if you’re aware of this or not, but one of the biggest competitions in the automobile world is happening right now, under our very noses: the race to see what vehicle will be delivering our mail. The Grumman Long Life Vehicle (LLV) that has been delivering America’s mail since the 1980s is nearing the end of its Long Life, and there’s potentially 180,000 U.S. Postal Service trucks needed to take the LLV’s place. Right now, a number of vehicle-builders are competing for the contract, including AM General, Oshkosh, Karsan, Mahindra, and the makers of the truck just spotted in Virginia, the team of Workhorse Group and VT Hackney. Workhorse has been building electric pickup and delivery trucks and is providing the chassis and drivetrain of the all-electric mail truck, while VT Hackney is handling the body. Here’s what a Trucks.com reader spotted, just delivering Amazon boxes and overdue bills like it’s no big thing ... Woah, look at that. That’s an interesting-looking vehicle. While the USPS’ Next Generation Delivery Vehicle Program rules don’t require an all-electric solution, about half of the entries do feature hybrid or alternative-fuel technology, though the Workhorse/VTHackney entry appears to be the only fully battery/electric vehicle. The Workhorse electric mail truck is based largely on Workhorse’s pickup truck, the W-15, there do appear to be some key differences, the most notable of which is the replacement of the W-15's large range-extending gasoline engine with a smaller unit from BMW. Maybe the same modified motorcycle engine that acts as a range extender in BMW’s i3? The all-electric range of the W-15 is 80 miles, and the truck can hold 2,200 lbs. The Post office requires only 1,500 lbs of payload. That’s a lot of mail! The design of the Postal Truck is interesting; the hood is quite low and sloping., and the greenhouse is very tall, with a huge, panoramic windshield. The triple-headlight cluster gives the truck’s face a sort of insectoid-alien look, and the whole thing looks comfortingly like a familiar mail truck, just somewhat more modern. I think for most mail carriers, the biggest question will be if these things have air conditioning. Current LLVs don’t have anything but a dinky little fan, and the trucks get pretty miserable in the summer heat. This competition is already turning out to be pretty interesting. Bozi, everyone’s favorite document-comber, found details on Mahindra’s entry, which appears to be based on their Genio truck, but with an engine from a Chevy Colorado pickup, fitted with GM’s mild hybrid setup. I’ve actually driven a Genio and liked it, so I’m very curious to see how Mahindra’s bid turns out. In case you’re wondering why any rational person would care about mail trucks at all, I’d just like to point something out: for most people, a mail truck is the only vehicle they encounter on a regular basis that isn’t built by one of the mainstream automakers. Grumman LLVs are interesting because they’re not some modified Ford or GM product or whatever. They’re their own unique thing. So many American cities are just parades of the same four or five kinds of SUVs and cars that injecting something somewhat unexpected into the mix via something as mundane as a mail truck I think helps, in some way. I love the idea that the Post Office gets to define its own purpose-built vehicle, and deploy it, en masse, all across the country. When else does that happen? I also love that nearly all the main competitors competing to make the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle are relatively unknown in the mainstream. I just hope something nice and weird wins. [© 2017 Gizmodo Media] https://www.trucks.com/2017/10/09/spy-shots-postal-service-workhorse-electric-mail-truck/ Spy shots: The Postal Service's New Electric Mail Truck? October 9, 2017 Jerry Hirsch [images https://www.trucks.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/workhorse-electric-truck-spy-shots.jpg Prototype electric U.S. Postal Service truck delivers mail in Leesburg, Va. / Trucks.com ] The first photos of a prototype mail delivery truck indicate that the U.S. Postal Service may be going electric. The photos were taken recently by a Trucks.com reader and electric vehicle enthusiast as a postal service worker delivered mail in Leesburg, Va., about 30 miles northwest of Washington, D.C. Workhorse electric postal truck side The truck is a prototype undergoing road tests in the USPS’ Next Generation Delivery Vehicle Program. It most likely was the offering from a team that includes truck body manufacturer VT Hackney Inc. and electric truck company Workhorse Group Inc., which make up one of the five final entries in the contest to build the postal service’s next delivery truck. Workhorse confirmed it was their truck in a tweet Monday after the story was first published. Looks like one of our prototypes was spotted on the streets of VA by @trucksdotcom https://t.co/1J9LLcyKeP @Nasdaq #WKHS #electric #USA — Workhorse Group (@Workhorse_Group) October 9, 2017 The Hackney/Workhorse team is the only competitor offering a pure battery electric truck. It will have a small BMW gasoline engine that will act as a generator to extend the range of the truck. Workhorse will supply the powertrain and chassis, and VT Hackney will build the body. The truck must be able to carry 1,500 pounds of mail and have at least 155 cubic feet of cargo space. It is expected to have a vehicle architecture similar to the Workhorse W-15 electric pickup truck, sharing many components, Jeffrey Osborne, a Cowen & Co. automotive analyst, said in a recent report to investors. The truck delivering mail in Virginia has an attention-grabbing profile that features a low-slung aerodynamic hood, oversized windows for increased visibility and an upright stance for the cargo box. Painted with the postal service eagle logo and red, white and blue livery, the right-hand drive truck was clearly an electric vehicle and made almost no noise as it drove through a Virginia neighborhood. The USPS also is evaluating mail truck prototypes from AM General, Karsan, Mahindra and Oshkosh. All five entrants delivered their prototypes to the Postal Service last month. An award is expected in the first half of next year. Workhorse electric postal truck driver side The new vehicle will replace the boxy Grumman Long Life Vehicle that has delivered letters and packages since it was designed for the USPS in the 1980s. Of the 215,000 mail trucks in rotation, 140,000 are at least two decades old. The new contract could be for as many as 180,000 trucks. The USPS has said that half of the prototypes “will feature hybrid and new technologies, including alternative fuel capabilities.” “Our goal is to obtain vehicles that will help us provide reliable and efficient delivery service for customers and honor our commitment to reducing the environmental impact of our fleet, while meeting the needs of our employees to best do their jobs safely,” the office of the USPS inspector general said in a statement announcing the next generation truck program ... [© TRUCKS.COM] https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/electric-postal-vehicles-recalled-temporarily (NZ) Electric postal vehicles recalled temporarily 10 October 2017 New Zealand Post's 400 recently commissioned Paxster electric vehicles have been taken out of service after faults were identified ... https://www.odt.co.nz/sites/default/files/story/2017/10/qw3bp11n_copy_2.jpg For EVLN EV-newswire posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ {brucedp.neocities.org} -- Sent from: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/ _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
