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Why the new USPS mail trucks look so weird

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Re: Why the new USPS mail trucks look so weird

#371

Post by marshmallow_12 »

AnssiH wrote: post #175
kbenson wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Possibly because as a global company, it's easier for them to have shared vehicles and parts across their entire service area (most the world). They can probably just fly the vans/trucks and parts in wherever they are needed, since they run their own fleet of (very large) planes as well.

Well, UPS vehicles look regular here: https://fastly.4sqi.net/img/general/600x600/5543516_Ag-wE02m... But I guess these don't really count as these are suncontractor vehicles...

those are the wrong ones.

Re: Why the new USPS mail trucks look so weird

#372

Post by aidenn0 »

fingerlocks wrote: post #250
aidenn0 wrote: post #212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The T3 has a nose though...

No it doesn’t. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Transporter

I see a nose; looks like it sticks out about 6" past the bottom of the windshield? And the wikipedia article makes it sound like that is exactly the portion used as a "defomation area" to protect the legs of those in the front of the cab?

Re: Why the new USPS mail trucks look so weird

#373

Post by BoorishBears »

arpinum wrote: post #336
fingerlocks wrote: post #248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I doubt maintenance & repair costs be more expensive for an ICE engine. The actual engine part requires little maintenance: occasional oil changes each year, spark plugs every five years, and maybe a belt in 10 years? I guess brake pads might be more common, but those are still a once every few years thing and inexpensive. All other common repair items would the same for an EV: suspension, various ball and CV joints,…

Smooth delivery of power has surprising downstream effects. The wear on ball joints and tyres for EVs can be significantly less due to not having as much jerk (derivative of acceleration) from their motor.

Wear on tires and ball joints are more due to increased weight and high torque from zero RPM.

https://www.fleetowner.com/equipment/tires/article/21147010/...

Not sure why you thought otherwise.

Re: Why the new USPS mail trucks look so weird

#374

Post by perl4ever »

diggan wrote: post #10

Why have a specific design anyways? In both Sweden and Spain, the cars carrying mail is typically just a normal half-truck (not sure about the correct name) with the post office branding. Here are two examples: https://c8.alamy.com/comp/DA5TW8/yellow-correos-spanish-post... - https://st2.depositphotos.com/3982569/5739/i/950/depositphot... Seems to work fine. Packages gets carried in bigger trucks, but still just busi…

I think I remember seeing the vehicle delivering mail at my old apartment building and it wasn't a grumman whatsit but a regular van or delivery truck. So I don't think the special vehicles are universal in the US either. I also think I've seen postal jeeps although that may have been a long time ago.

Re: Why the new USPS mail trucks look so weird

#375

Post by Robotbeat »

mauvehaus wrote: post #308
solarkraft wrote: post #290

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To some people it was. I have wondered then and I wonder now how it wasn't clear.

The LLV's are not merely old, they're ancient . The EV marketplace still isn't particularly mature: there are competing charging networks, the charging standards are still evolving, and in the US, there are perhaps two mainstream manufacturers of pure BEVs (Tesla and Nissan). If you're the sort of customer who keeps a vehicle 3 years and then upgrades, none of this is likely a worry for you. Any shakeup in the chargi…

Except this is a PERFECT application of battery electric drivetrain. I literally can’t think of a better one. If this isn’t “good enough,” then precisely what is? What WON’T be sunk by short-sighted risk averseness (actually nothing risky here) or plain indifference if this can’t be electric?

And now they’ll have forced themselves into expensive conversions if they ever want to go electric in the next 3 decades.

It’s legitimately depressing.

Re: Why the new USPS mail trucks look so weird

#376

Post by perl4ever »

diggan wrote: post #351
fingerlocks wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The United States is a vast, sprawling area with nearly every conceivable type of geography. The road conditions and residential density covers all possible ranges. The truck is designed for the worst case scenario allowable while minimizing drivers danger. Also, the USPS uses panel vans in denser areas. My neighborhood in Seattle has the mail delivered in a Sprinter/ProMaster/Transit thing, but weird trucks are ubiq…

> The United States is a vast, sprawling area with nearly every conceivable type of geography. The road conditions and residential density covers all possible ranges. The truck is designed for the worst case scenario allowable while minimizing drivers danger. I'm pretty sure most of the geography in the US can be found in either Spain or Sweden as well. Except jungle I guess, but don't think you have much of that ove…

The premise, that the postal service in the US only uses the special vehicles, seems to be incorrect.

Re: Why the new USPS mail trucks look so weird

#377

Post by dangerbird2 »

jonfw wrote: post #342
chrisseaton wrote: post #303

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> requirements ... obligatory ... needs ... Yet other countries' mail services manage without all these things just fine?

The US is unique in it's low population density and enormous scale of it's postal service.

Yep. There are very few countries that have a huge land area with extremely remote population and a postal service with a universal service mandate for all its citizens (going so far as to run daily mule trains down the Grand Canyon to service to the Havasupi nation[1])

[1] https://historydaily.org/havasupai-post-office-grand-canyon

Re: Why the new USPS mail trucks look so weird

#378

Post by colineartheta »

core-questions wrote: post #367
colineartheta wrote: post #347

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for explaining energy density to me! Now explain why AC matters when the new contract is for ICE vehicles. You and the original commenter I was responding to seem to be worried about nothing.

I think you're thinking of Alternating Current and they're thinking of Air Conditioning.

No, I'm pretty confident I'm talking about Air Conditioning, considering that's what I was responding to.

Re: Why the new USPS mail trucks look so weird

#379

Post by fomine3 »

dorfsmay wrote: post #233
colineartheta wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What? AC is unrelated to the energy source of the drivetrain.

At the end of the day, you need enough energy onboard, and gas is much more dense. Hybrid cars turn the ICE engine on at intersection when AC or heat is on, to convert gas into electricity and avoid depleting the batteries completely.

But is it serious compared to cold situation? Cooling 40C to 25C is just -15C difference, but warming -10C to 20C is 30C.

Re: Why the new USPS mail trucks look so weird

#380

Post by antattack »

jerf wrote: post #355
antattack wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Electric delivery vehicles could easily be charged overnight from regular 'residential' outlet. Since average mail route is 45miles [1]. At 1000Wh/mile - that's only 45kWh of charge needed per vehicle. [1] https://www.grit.com/community/usps-rural-delivery-factoids

Roll down to your post office during off hours and count the number of trucks. I live in a very small city (people used to SF or NY wouldn't even call it a "city") and we've got dozens. Not sure where you're getting the 1000Wh/mile number, but if it's from "normal driving" it won't apply. Mail delivery is stop and start, which is much worse. (If regenerative braking was 100% it'd be fine, but it's nowhere near that.)

Model 3 in Winter with heating on uses 420Wh/mile when driving 70mph. I think 1000Wh/mile is very generous estimate.
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