what a cruel joke to force these ev vans on the failing post office. THEY ARE TOO BIG AND DO NOT WORK IN HARSH CLIMATES. Sorry for caps lock, But Amazon is delivering packages in our area next month, meaning the old jeep style would be a better fit than one that will be a monster in older neighborhoods. These ev vans are 10 years too late. mail and package delivery at 8 Oclock at night in the middle of winter is not profitable
Originally posted by: Brent Kline
what a cruel joke to force these ev vans on the failing post office. THEY ARE TOO BIG AND DO NOT WORK IN HARSH CLIMATES. Sorry for caps lock, But Amazon is delivering packages in our area next month, meaning the old jeep style would be a better fit than one that will be a monster in older neighborhoods. These ev vans are 10 years too late. mail and package delivery at 8 Oclock at night in the middle of winter is not profitable
Obviously, if a given office is working in an area where the climate and/or terrain make EVs impractical, they will use other vehicles, perhaps seasonally. Ditto for areas with challenging roads.
The question of profitability is moot, as the Post Office isn't tasked with operating at a profit. If it was, or if its function was taken over by private companies, deliveries on those mountain roads wouldn't happen at all, and it would cost $5 to send a letter.
My mail is a few bills and a mountain of solicitations
Postsl delivery could be cut back to 3 days per week and nobody would notice
Originally posted by: tom
My mail is a few bills and a mountain of solicitations
Postsl delivery could be cut back to 3 days per week and nobody would notice
Wow, stupid Tom, you say a BUNCH of asinine things, but this is a real gem. Increase the time it takes for mail to be delivered. Double the volume and workload for a delivery day. Just because YOU don't get any important mail, no one else must, either!
You'd be the first one yeeping when every business and government office slows down because surface mail delivery is curtailed.
Stupid, stupid Tom.
Originally posted by: David Miller
More tax payer money pissed away by the brain dead Biden Administration -- As everyone knows, the Inflation Reduction Act was nothing of the sort. It was the Green New Deal dressed up as something else. Remember Joe Biden's speech to the DNC in 2024, where he bragged about building 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations? As of May, $7.5 billion has been spent — and only seven chargers have been built. -The US Postal Service has spent more than $3 billion in tax dollars on a brand-new all-electric fleet of mail trucks — and gotten just 612 vehicles for its money, according to a letter sent to Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and obtained by The Post. Former President Joe Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act set aside billions for what Ernst has since ripped as a green “boondoggle” that saw almost all of that amount paid to Wisconsin-based defense contractor Oshkosh to design and build 35,000 new environmentally friendly mail trucks. But as of Nov. 10, only 612 of the battery-electric powered vehicles are on the road - https://twitchy.com/brettt/2025/12/03/only-612-electric-usps-trucks-delivered-after-spending-3-billion-n2422392
The auther of the article provides zero citations for any of his numbers.
Originally posted by: LiveFreeNW
The auther of the article provides zero citations for any of his numbers.
Are you suggesting that the numbers are incorrect? If so, provide factual information that disputes the numbers.
Originally posted by: Kevin Lewis
Just because Trump-pig is too STOOOPID to realize the benefits of EVs doesn't mean they aren't worth acquiring. In particular, stop-and-go in-town delivery burns a LOT of gas, but an EV doesn't burn any gas at all. The USPS vans require about $3 worth of electricity to charge. A child could see, they're a superior alternative.
Of course, what's really going on here is Trump's inane crusade to "void" everything Biden did. He's against EVs because Biden was for them. Simple as that.
I think that 35,000 vehicles can readily be built in five years.
There are few issues with EV vehicles that are often overlooked. Some of these could be figured out over time but currently EVs just aren't ready for prime time.
Range/charge time - Last year I drove from Washington State to Texas for the eclipse. That trip wouldn't have been feasible with an EV. I stopped every 400 miles or so to fill up which took a few minutes. How long does it take to put 400 mi of charge on an EV? I imagine every "fill up" would have taken hours.
Efficiency - EVs aren't quite as efficient or clean as they seem when you factor in energy cost and environmental impact of production. Lithium mining and battery production use a lot of energy and burns a lot of fuel.
Power production - The environmental impact of EV varies greatly by region. In the NW as you know, The vast majority of our power comes from hydroelectric dams which don't create much air pollutants or green house gases. However much of the country is powered by burning coal or other fuels. Modern IC cars are actually quite clean and efficient, producing very little emmisions.
The Grid - Are current electric grid simply could not handle a large scale switch over to EVs. Many areas such as California and New York already experience rolling blackouts due to production and transmission issues.
Blackouts - If a storm or other issue causes my house or neighborhood to lose power for several days. I am unable to charge an EV. However it is pretty easy for me to go out to the toolshed, grab one or two of my 5 gallon gas cans and add range to my vehicle. Also many gas stations in the area will be on generators. I highly doubt many EV charging stations are on generators.
I do think EV technology has its place in our transportation and energy portfolios. I just don't think they are the saving grace or utopia that some people seem to think. (Not saying you are one of those people.)
Personally, I won't be interested in an EV until charging stations can add 300+ miles of range in about the same time it takes at the gas pump.
That's why the ideal vehicle is a hybrid. But again, for in-town short range stop and go driving, EVs are ideal.
The problems for long range travel do exist. But you have to realize, the reason they exist is Detroit's decades-long crusade against EVs and the strenuous efforts of the Republicans to earn the trillions in lobby money they receive.
If not for all that shit, we'd have a viable EV infrastructure for cross country trips.
Also, to return to two simple truths: the supply of fossil fuels is finite. At some point, we must run out...and well before then, we'll face problems of scarcity and extraction difficulties. And haven't we fought enough wars over oil? The Turd is trying to start yet another one! So why not be ready for the inevitable?
The second consideration is pollution. Yes, gas powered vehicles are cleaner than they used to be. And yes, the electrical power used to charge EVs isn't always cleanly generated. That's why we need more wind and solar generation--which Republicans have also been rabidly fighting against. They'd rather burn coal.
I also should mention that while on the highway charging is unappealingly slow, you DO save a fair amount of money vs. driving the same distance in a gas vehicle--a difference that will be even more stark when the fossil fuel companies jack up the price of gas yet again. And fast chargers, when they finally do arrive on the he interstates, will make the inconvenience minimal.
The various and sundry objections barfed out by Republicans are partly due to their fealty to Big Oil and partly due to their inherent fear of progress and change, aka "conservatism."
