As Ford Authority reported last June, the forthcoming next-generation USPS mail carrier built by Oshkosh Defense will utilize a number of Ford-sourced components, including engines, transmissions, suspension parts, and more.
However, the Oshkosh Defense Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV), as it’s otherwise known, has faced considerable scrutiny from lawmakers and the EPA in recent months for the fact that 90 percent of these new mail carriers will be powered by internal-combustion engines, with just 10 percent slated to receive all-electric power by 2023.
Now, a recently released environmental impact statement from the EPA has revealed that this means the vast majority of NGDVs will be powered by a Ford 2.0L I-4 of some sort.
It’s currently unclear which Ford 2.0L I-4 will be used in the NGDV. It could be the naturally-aspirated version used in the Ford Transit Connect and Ford EcoSport, which makes 162 and 166 horsepower in those applications, respectively. Alternatively, the NGDV could use Ford’s 2.0L EcoBoost I-4, which boasts an output of 250 horsepower. No information regarding transmissions is currently available, but the EcoBoost pairs the 2.0 with a six-speed automatic, the Transit Connect has an eight-speed gearbox, and the EcoBoost powerplant is mated to an eight-speed transmission in the Ford Maverick, Ford Bronco Sport, Ford Escape, and Ford Edge.
