On Sunday, February 6, the United States Postal Service (USPS) announced plans to submit an initial order for 5,000 electric delivery vans. The announcement was made to show that the USPS is committed to the fiscally responsible rollout of electric-powered vehicles for America’s largest federal fleet.
The Postal Service also announced plans to achieve 70% fleet electrification within the decade. Postmaster General and USPS Chief Executive Officer Louis DeJoy stated that the Postal Service would be open to increasing its number of electric vehicle orders “should additional funding become available.” The Postmaster tried to elaborate on the USPS’ financial challenges of committing to operating a cleaner Postal vehicle fleet.
“Moreover, comparisons of the Postal Service to private sector multi-national corporations that report yearly profits in the billions of dollars, and that are not required to go to 161 million delivery addresses in all climates and topographies six days per week, are not relevant in view of our perilous financial condition and universal service mission,” DeJoy clarified.
“We will be resolute in making decisions that are grounded in our financial situation and what we can realistically achieve while pushing hard to take delivery of safer, cleaner vehicles by next year. Given our large fiscal deficits and significant financial challenges, Congress is well aware of the additional resources that would be required if Congress would prefer the Postal Service to accelerate the electrification of our delivery vehicle fleet as a matter of public policy,” he explained.
The agency’s recent announcement stated clearly that the Postal Service generally does not receive tax dollars for operating expenses. It relies on postage sales, products, and services to fund its operations.
USPS’ New Delivery Van
On February 23, 2021, the USPS announced a 10-year contract with Oshkosh, WI, to manufacture a new generation of U.S.-built postal delivery vehicles. At the time, the agency stated that the new delivery van from Oshkosh would “drive the most dramatic modernization of the USPS fleet in three decades.”
As per the contract’s initial $482 million investment, Oshkosh was supposed to finalize the production design of the agency’s Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV). The agreement also stated that Oshkosh would assemble 50,000 to 165,000 NGDVs for the USPS. Last month, the NGDV’s design was showcased during CES 2022 in Las Vegas.
Biden Administration Pushes Back on the NGDV
Last week, members of President Joe Biden’s administration sent letters to the Postal Service, urging the agency to reconsider its plans to buy mostly gas-powered vehicles to upgrade its fleet. The agency’s plans to spend up to $11.3 billion on as many as 165,000 new gas-powered delivery vans in the next decade could have major implications for President Biden’s goal to convert federal cars and trucks to clean energy. The Postal Service fleet makes up a third of the US government’s fleet.
Accoring to the USPS, the NGDV is larger and has a more fuel-efficient internal combustion engine compared to the currently deployed Long Life Vehicle (LLV). The NGDV’s fuel economy is 14.7 MPG when air conditioning isn’t running compared to the LLV’s fuel economy of 8.4 MPG, which does not have an AC system. The new Postal delivery van will be fitted with safety features like 360 degree cameras, front and rear braking, and a driver airbag.
However, the USPS also designed the NGDV to accommodate advancements in technology in its 20-year life. The Postal Service declared that the NGDV has a platform that could be equipped with either an internal combustion engine or battery electric drive train.
The agency stated that its cost estimates—presumably referring to costs related to the NGDV—included the price of charging infrastructure. It plans to charge delivery vans in bulk at USPS facilities. The Postal Service is analyzing state and local electrical grid capacity to determine any potential upgrades it needs to implement at the grid-level.
Below is a letter from the White House to the USPS.
USPS Letter 2022 by Maria Merano on Scribd
The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, reach out to me at maria@teslarati.com or via Twitter @Writer_01001101.
News
Tesla FSD (Supervised) could be approved in the Netherlands next month: Musk
Musk shared the update during a recent interview at Giga Berlin.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared that Full Self-Driving (FSD) could receive regulatory approval in the Netherlands as soon as March 20, potentially marking a major step forward for Tesla’s advanced driver-assistance rollout in Europe.
Musk shared the update during a recent interview at Giga Berlin, noting that the date was provided by local authorities.
“Tesla has the most advanced real-world AI, and hopefully, it will be approved soon in Europe. We’re told by the authorities that March 20th, it’ll be approved in the Netherlands,’ what I was told,” Musk stated.
“Hopefully, that date remains the same. But I think people in Europe are going to be pretty blown away by how good the Tesla car AI is in being able to drive.”
Tesla’s FSD system relies on vision-based neural networks trained on real-world driving data, allowing vehicles to navigate using cameras and AI rather than traditional sensor-heavy solutions.
The performance of FSD Supervised has so far been impressive. As per Tesla’s safety report, Full Self-Driving Supervised has already traveled 8.3 billion miles. So far, vehicles operating with FSD Supervised engaged recorded one major collision every 5,300,676 miles.
In comparison, Teslas driven manually with Active Safety systems recorded one major collision every 2,175,763 miles, while Teslas driven manually without Active Safety recorded one major collision every 855,132 miles. The U.S. average during the same period was one major collision every 660,164 miles.
If approval is granted on March 20, the Netherlands could become the first European market to greenlight Tesla’s latest supervised FSD (Supervised) software under updated regulatory frameworks. Tesla has been working to secure expanded FSD access across Europe, where regulatory standards differ significantly from those in the United States. Approval in the Netherlands would likely serve as a foundation for broader EU adoption, though additional country-level clearances may still be required.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk estimates Tesla Semi could reach Europe next year
“We’ve got the Tesla Semi coming out, the heavy truck, and that’ll be going to Europe hopefully next year,” Musk said.
Tesla is preparing to expand its all-electric Semi truck program to Europe, with CEO Elon Musk indicating that the Class 8 vehicle could arrive in the region 2027.
Musk shared his update during an interview about Giga Berlin with plant manager André Thierig, which was posted on X by the official Tesla Manufacturing account.
“We’ve got the Tesla Semi coming out, the heavy truck, and that’ll be going to Europe hopefully next year,” he said.
Tesla has already begun limited production and customer deployments of the Tesla Semi in the United States, with the company working to scale output through the Semi factory near Giga Nevada. Considering Musk’s comments, it appears that a European rollout would be the next phase of the vehicle’s expansion beyond North America.
Musk’s use of the word “hopefully” leaves room for flexibility, but the remark signals that Europe is next in Tesla’s commercial expansion plans.
Musk has consistently argued that electrification should extend beyond passenger vehicles. During the same interview, he reiterated his view that “all ground transport should be electric,” adding that ships, and eventually aircraft, would follow.
The Semi plays a central role in that strategy. Heavy-duty freight remains one of the most emissions-intensive segments of road transport, and European regulators have increasingly pushed for lower-emission commercial fleets.
Tesla recently refreshed the Semi lineup on its official website, listing two variants: Standard and Long Range. The Standard trim offers up to 325 miles of range with an energy consumption rating of 1.7 kWh per mile, while the Long Range version provides up to 500 miles, which should be more than ample for European routes.
Elon Musk
Tesla Cybercab coming next to Giga Berlin, Optimus possibly after
“From a next major product standpoint, I think most likely is the Tesla Cybercab,” Musk said.
Tesla could add the Cybercab and Optimus humanoid robot to the production lineup at Giga Berlin, as per recent comments from CEO Elon Musk.
During a recent interview with Giga Berlin plant manager André Thierig, Musk identified the Cybercab as the most likely next major product for the German factory, with Optimus potentially following after.
“From a next major product standpoint, I think most likely is the Tesla Cybercab,” Musk said. He added that there are also “possibilities of Tesla Optimus” being produced in the facility.
Tesla has already begun production of the Cybercab in Giga Texas, with volume production expected to ramp this year. Based on Musk’s comments, it appears that if conditions align in Europe, Giga Berlin could eventually join that effort.
The CEO’s comments about Optimus coming to Gigafactory Berlin are quite unsurprising too considering that Musk has mentioned in the past that the humanoid robot will likely be Tesla’s highest volume product in the long run.
Giga Berlin will likely be able to produce mass volumes of Optimus, as the Model S and Model X lines being converted to an Optimus line in the Fremont Factory are already expected to produce 1 million units of the humanoid robot annually.
Apart from his comments about the Cybercab and Optimus, Elon Musk also confirmed that Giga Berlin has started ramping battery cell production and will continue expanding Model Y output, particularly as supervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) gains regulatory approvals in Europe.
Taken together, the remarks suggest Berlin’s role could evolve beyond vehicle assembly into a broader multi-product manufacturing hub, not just a regional Model Y plant.
Tesla FSD (Supervised) could be approved in the Netherlands next month: Musk
Elon Musk estimates Tesla Semi could reach Europe next year
