However, since the Postal Service is an autonomous federal agency with its own governing board, the Trump Administration may have limited control over what it does. That could mean that the $3 billion earmarked by Congress in 2023 to fund a fleet of 66,000 all-electric mail trucks might still remain in USPS coffers. Oshkosh, the company that designed the duck-shaped Next-Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV), is slated for 45,000 of those vehicles, with the remainder coming from legacy automakers.
Reuters reports that regardless of President Trump’s actions, Oshkosh will pursue a relationship with the USPS. The NGDV remains a priority for the mail service, although its gasoline powertrain is only capable of a pitiful 8.6 miles per gallon on average, leading to lawsuits against the USPS over its massive order for the cartoonish delivery van. Oshkosh’s contract for 45,000 EVs is rumored to be based on the NGDV, swapping its internal combustion engine for batteries and motors.