Sadly, the obligations to jump on the EV bandwagon leaves the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) in a massive financial and operational predicament. The USPS, a traditionally venerable federal agency for its core mail delivery nationwide, has regrettably suffered in recent decades as result of an archaic business model and leaders treating the agency as a proving ground for experimental services, and expansions of mission favored by interest groups – like competitive package transport. As the USPS has forced its way into services, the institution has recently amassed $188 billion in unfunded liabilities. With EVs, the USPS would lose the financial benefits of their current fleet design, and worse, EVs would introduce substantial new risks and liabilities to the USPS.
In terms of USPS purchasing power, it is noteworthy that electric vehicles, on average, cost $13,000 more than typical combustion vehicles, prompting important questions about how many years or decades it may take USPS to see a return on investment.