WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A group of 17 U.S. House Democrats introduced legislation on Monday to award $6 billion to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to buy tens of thousands of additional electric delivery vehicles.
The bill sponsored by Representative Jared Huffman and seen by Reuters would require at least 75% of the new fleet be electric or zero-emission vehicles. If Congress approves funding, there is no guarantee USPS would agree to buy vehicles from Workhorse.
Last month, the USPS said it was committed to having electric vehicles make up 10% of its next-generation fleet as part of its multibillion-dollar plan to retire its 30-year-old delivery vehicles. It said it could boost that percentage if it received billions of dollars in government assistance.