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The squat, box-like van (OK, let’s just call them what they are–ugly) have a steering wheel on the right to make it easier for drivers to reach out and put mail in curbside mail boxes. They have few creature comforts, such as air conditioning. They are designed to be rugged, not flashy. They have lived up to their name, the Grumman LLV, for long lasting vehicle.
This ubiquitous fleet of 200,000 vehicles has been around longer than such common features of modern life as smartphones, online shopping, social media, streaming services or Google. About 70% of them are between 25 and 32 years old. DVDs have come and gone into people’s lifestyle in that time.
But their days are finally numbered.
On Tuesday the US Postal Service unveiled a contact for its next generation delivery vehicle, or NGDV. And when they start hitting the road in 2023, they may take some getting used to.
The new van has a low engine compartment and hood and a very high windshield. It looks like a duck’s head, complete with bill. The back is tall enough for a letter carrier to stand in.
It also has safety features missing from many of the current vehicles, including — believe it or not — airbags, which are standard features in virtually all motor vehicles today.
They also will have back-up cameras, front collision warnings, automatic front and rear braking, blind spot detectors and, to the relief at last of letter carriers come summer, air conditioning.
Many but not all of the NGDVs will be electronic vehicles. With electronic vehicle changing at a fast pace and the vehicles designed to last decades, the contract calls for the electronic versions to able to be retrofitted to keep pace with advances.
The rest will be what the USPS says will be high efficiency traditional gasoline engines. The precise mix between EVs and internal combustion engines has not been set. But the mix has already elicited criticism from environmentalists.
“The USPS NGDVs should be electrified as a matter of urgency,” said Robbie Diamond, president of Securing America’s Future Energy, or SAFE. “This contract is a golden opportunity to stimulate the domestic EV market and supply chain, and a commitment to electrifying the NGDV would provide a clear incentive for further domestic EV industry…
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