Multi-Billion Dollar Boondoggle: Biden Admin Plan For Electric Mail Trucks Flops Massively

[livingston]

Multi-Billion Dollar Boondoggle: Biden Admin Plan For Electric Mail Trucks Flops Massively​

A Biden administration effort to electrify the U.S. Postal Service has produced just 250 electric mail trucks in over two years—far behind schedule and slammed by Republicans as a multibillion-dollar "boondoggle."

The nearly $10 billion project aimed to roll out 35,000 battery-powered USPS vehicles by September 2028, with $3 billion funded through President Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), according to the NY Post.
But despite $1.7 billion already spent, only a small portion of the fleet exists, prompting Republicans to push for canceling the remaining $1.3 billion in funding.
Wisconsin-based Oshkosh was awarded $2.6 billion to build the trucks. Yet as of late 2024, just 93 had been delivered—far short of the 3,000 expected. Production has been plagued by engineering issues, including airbag calibration failures and leaks so bad water poured out of the trucks.

By mid-2025, Oshkosh’s factory was producing only one truck per day—far below its projection of 80. The cost per vehicle: $77,692 for 28,195 units. USPS says it has ordered 51,500 Next Generation Delivery Vehicles (NGDVs), including 35,000 battery electric models. To date, just over 250 electric NGDVs have been delivered.

Multi-Billion Dollar Boondoggle: Biden Admin Plan For Electric Mail Trucks Flops Massively<!-- --> | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

 

[livingston]

Folks if one visits a rural post office look where they park the mail trucks. There is no room for the charging units. . A friend had a contract to clear snow from a post office... At times it is a nightmare .... Very little room to maneuver .

 

[Saltwater60]

Folks if one visits a rural post office look where they park the mail trucks. There is no room for the charging units. . A friend had a contract to clear snow from a post office... At times it is a nightmare .... Very little room to maneuver .

If I was a plow company I would refuse to clear parking lots with EV chargers there. Way too much risk for damage and way too costly to repair or replace. If there are just a few one could work around it but if there is enough for an entire fleet of vehicles it’s much more difficult to work around.
Now on topic, is anyone really surprised by this? Who the heck is OshKosh and if they have never made a vehicle before why would we choose them? Oh that’s right it’s some sort of kick back for sure and certain. Honestly they didn’t meet contract and all that should be paid is the ones we accepted and are functional. I don’t care what we paid them already and those funds should be recouped if they aren’t right.

 

[Bigfoot]

The Democrats Green New Scam is a bunch of shit in so many different ways.

I think the Democrat elite know it's a bunch of shit. Most of them didn't get where they are by being stupid. I don't think I can say the same thing for the average Democrat voter.
I'm not trying to be a dick or anything, but it is what it is. So called Climate Change, which leads to the Green New Scam, is by far a lefty Democrat thing.

In my lifetime, it's gone from the coming New Ice Age, to Global Warming, to Climate Change.

 

[Tisto]

If I was a plow company I would refuse to clear parking lots with EV chargers there. Way too much risk for damage and way too costly to repair or replace. If there are just a few one could work around it but if there is enough for an entire fleet of vehicles it’s much more difficult to work around.
Now on topic, is anyone really surprised by this? Who the heck is OshKosh and if they have never made a vehicle before why would we choose them? Oh that’s right it’s some sort of kick back for sure and certain. Honestly they didn’t meet contract and all that should be paid is the ones we accepted and are functional. I don’t care what we paid them already and those funds should be recouped if they aren’t right.

Oshkosh is a real company. They have made specialty vehicles for many years, mostly heavy trucks. Articulating dumps, specialty plows, stuff nobody else makes. They also build some military vehicles. I think the problem with them making mail trucks is that mail trucks are outside their wheelhouse. It would be like asking Evinrude to build a motorcycle.

 

[tirwin1]

I think the Democrat elite know it's a bunch of shit.
View attachment 270038


View attachment 270044

Yes, but it is an excellent opportunity for graft at the public's expense. Hence their devotion to it.

 

[Bigfoot]

Yes, but it is an excellent opportunity for graft at the public's expense. Hence their devotion to it.

Hochul the Horrible and the other Democrats are definitely devoted to it.
You know, the Green New Deal graft at the public's expense.

 

[Bigfoot]

Folks if one visits a rural post office look where they park the mail trucks. There is no room for the charging units. . A friend had a contract to clear snow from a post office... At times it is a nightmare .... Very little room to maneuver .

Here's my rural post office, the parking lot is no bigger than an average private driveway. Most everybody usually parks in front on the side of the road. This is in the snowbelt, so we get a ton of snow here at times.

 

[OwnTheRide]

Phew... $10B for 35,000 vehicles? That's almost $286k per vehicle. Also known as A COMPLETE RIPOFF.

 

[IrishMick]

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from swift completion of their appointed rounds..........Unless it's too cold or wet or hot or the solar chargers don't work at night for their shitty EVs to be operational.

 

[Saltwater60]

Phew... $10B for 35,000 vehicles? That's almost $286k per vehicle. Also known as A COMPLETE RIPOFF.

The vehicles were going to be about $78,000 each based on what the article said but I’m sure the rest was for charges installed at each post office.

 

[prambo]

 

[OwnTheRide]

The vehicles were going to be about $78,000 each based on what the article said but I’m sure the rest was for charges installed at each post office.

Maybe, but if so, $200k per charger? WTF...

I suspect what they're doing government accounting tricks. Sure, it's "only" $78k per vehicle for the production contract, but we spent $200k per (projected) vehicle on R&D that we're now pretending isn't part of the total cost.

Of course, now that they're talking about canceling the program, the (actual) per-vehicle cost will be way higher, because we've presumably already spent the money on the R&D efforts. This is akin to Obama canceling the Marine One helicopter project before any helicopters had been delivered. We'd already spent a ton of money on the R&D, which to a degree had to be re-done with the replacement contracts. Turned a $6b total contract into something like a total cost of $21b, because the $6b price tag was viewed as too high. Government at its finest right there.

 

[Bigfoot]

Allow me to go off topic for just a second to remind everyone about some more Green New Scam bullshit.

In New York, all new school bus purchases must be zero-emission (electric) starting in 2027, and the entire school bus fleet must be zero-emission by 2035. The school taxes here in NY that are already too high are going to skyrocket.

Some people are making out from the Green New Scam, but it certainly isn't the average taxpayers.

I just thought I'd mention it.

 

[FP1201]

Phew... $10B for 35,000 vehicles? That's almost $286k per vehicle. Also known as A COMPLETE RIPOFF.

Typical Government purchase...did you see what FEMA paid for the "tiny houses" they bought for the victims of the Lahaina fire?

Temporary Housing For Maui Wildfire Victims: $411,000 Each

Costs are up 60% just this year, and it is unclear what will happen to the homes after 5 years. But families are grateful to be settling into their own homes.

www.civilbeat.org

Oshkosh, and Oshkosh Defense rakes in BILLIONS in Military sales, why not get a slice of the Post Office...They could have bought several of the new Van's they're using for the cost of one EV that won't be reliable or have a fraction of the longevity...Somebodies Retirement Account got very fat over this deal.

 

[FP1201]

Allow me to go off topic for just a second to remind everyone about some more Green New Scam bullshit.

In New York, all new school bus purchases must be zero-emission (electric) starting in 2027, and the entire school bus fleet must be zero-emission by 2035. The school taxes here in NY that are already too high are going to skyrocket.

Some people are making out from the Green New Scam, but it certainly isn't the average taxpayers.

I just thought I'd mention it.

Word has it the School Districts (at least in the North Country) are diametrically opposed to the mandate.

 

[Bigfoot]

According to Wikipedia -

Shortly after the contract was awarded to Oshkosh in February 2021, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy appeared before the United States House of Representatives, where he testified only 10% of the planned delivery vehicles would be battery electric vehicles (BEVs).

In response to an enquiry from Representative Jackie Speier asking why the new fleet was not 90% BEV instead of 10% BEV, DeJoy stated that 90% BEV target would require "3 or 4 extra billion [dollars]" to implement.

I think I still might be off topic, IDK.
But I do know this man-made climate change bullshit, along with the so-called Green New Deal, is a big giant scam. I'll file this under follow the money.

 

[Deplorable Me]

And to think, Hochul mandated electric school busses in NY.