Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

U.S. Postal Service starts nationwide electric vehicle fleet, buying 9,250 EVs

cbsnews.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

371–380 of 503 posts

Re: U.S. Postal Service starts nationwide electric vehicle fleet, buying 9,250 EVs

#371

Post by jameshart »

hbarka wrote: post #226

The mailman stopping and starting the engine at every mailbox is so ridiculously wasteful, not just of energy but also time. That’s an additional 15-20 seconds between mailboxes fiddling with the ignition and transmission. In various neighborhoods I’ve lived in all the mailmen did this. Looking forward to EV delivery trucks to make life easier for the drivers and not having to hear that screeching of the ignition at…

And every startup (or minute idling) is pushing particulate pollution out onto residential streets.

People don’t appreciate the difference EVs make just by shifting the pollution burden of traffic away from the human environment.

Re: U.S. Postal Service starts nationwide electric vehicle fleet, buying 9,250 EVs

#372

Post by codetrotter »

m4rtink wrote: post #94
viraptor wrote: post #13

For comparison, Australia Post went with mostly 3-wheel electric bikes for local deliveries (3100 out of 4100 EVs in the fleet mid 2022). https://auspost.com.au/our-stories/inspiring-stories/sustain... there's a photo in the link. The low noise compared to the previous powered bikes is really nice.

Yeah - while it seems easy/logical to just swap a normal delivery vehicle for an electric version of it, you don't really have to do that & electric vehicles do come in many more shapes and sizes due to the might higher flexibility and scalability of the electric power system. For example here in Brno, Czech Republic, the entry to the city center is nowadays quite restrictive for regular cars/vans - a lot of it is a…

> electric vehicles do come in many more shapes and sizes due to the might higher flexibility and scalability of the electric power system.

True. For example, this Norwegian article from 2021 has two pictures in it.

https://fagbladet.no/nyheter/posten-stanser-kjop-av-fossile-...

The first picture at the top are mostly big electric cars. But scroll down a bit.

As shown in the second picture, the other electric cars that the Norwegian postal service use are much smaller. Almost like a quad bike with small wheels and a roof.

Re: U.S. Postal Service starts nationwide electric vehicle fleet, buying 9,250 EVs

#373

Post by jaclaz »

fbdab103 wrote: post #176
hot_gril wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would a diesel generator solve the problem?

Now you have to carry the diesel inside the cabin. I have no idea what the efficiency is, but I have to assume diesel generator->electric battery is going to take a sizeable bite out of the energy budget. At that point why not just buy an ICE?

>Now you have to carry the diesel inside the cabin.

Or have a trailer with the generator and fuel tank, I always thought (if we can depart from the "ideological" part of EV vs. ICE) that it could be a "standard" range extender for any kind of electric car, a sort of hybrid on demand, you normally drive (short range) an EV and if you have to do a longer trip you rent the trailer with the generator set.

Re: U.S. Postal Service starts nationwide electric vehicle fleet, buying 9,250 EVs

#374

Post by vel0city »

b112 wrote: post #203
gwbas1c wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In shipping and logistics, time is money. Fuel can be dispensed in the US at a maximum of 10 gal/minute. Factor that against the largest charger you can find and see why the single cost difference doesn't matter yet. You charge the mail trucks overnight, when they aren't being driven. I don't know about you, but I've never seen a postman out in the evening or nighttime. I also don't know about you, but I don't stan…

You have to go out of your way to get to the gas station, go up to the pump, pay for it, and then get back on your way. It always takes me 5-10 minutes to get gas. Wow. Gas stations are everywhere, conveniently located, and always on route to some place or another. The mental gymnastics employed, to try to make this seem arduous, does not make for a compelling argument.

Getting gas about every week and a half means about 35 stops a year. If a stop takes me a little over 5 minutes that means about 3 hours a year.

Compared to maybe 10 seconds to plug in my car when I get to my garage.

I spend way more time recharging my ICE car than I do my EV.

Re: U.S. Postal Service starts nationwide electric vehicle fleet, buying 9,250 EVs

#375

Post by PartiallyTyped »

justanother wrote: post #48

Most American humans and pets know the distinctive sound of an LLV trolling around the block delivering the mail. EVs are Ninja-like by comparison. I'm not suggesting this is a bad thing, but it's gonna be a different world.

I am all for reducing noise pollution. It's quite a transformative experience to move from a lower floor apt where you are bombarded with sound up to a higher floor where the only outside sound comes from birds.

Re: U.S. Postal Service starts nationwide electric vehicle fleet, buying 9,250 EVs

#376

Post by roflyear »

viraptor wrote: post #13

For comparison, Australia Post went with mostly 3-wheel electric bikes for local deliveries (3100 out of 4100 EVs in the fleet mid 2022). https://auspost.com.au/our-stories/inspiring-stories/sustain... there's a photo in the link. The low noise compared to the previous powered bikes is really nice.

That's cool but would not work for much of the US. The NYC - DC area is a huge % of our population and that wouldn't work there at all for like 50% of the year really.

Re: U.S. Postal Service starts nationwide electric vehicle fleet, buying 9,250 EVs

#377

Post by roflyear »

hbarka wrote: post #226

The mailman stopping and starting the engine at every mailbox is so ridiculously wasteful, not just of energy but also time. That’s an additional 15-20 seconds between mailboxes fiddling with the ignition and transmission. In various neighborhoods I’ve lived in all the mailmen did this. Looking forward to EV delivery trucks to make life easier for the drivers and not having to hear that screeching of the ignition at…

Well every mailbox is extreme. My mail people park and walk the neighborhood

Re: U.S. Postal Service starts nationwide electric vehicle fleet, buying 9,250 EVs

#378

Post by Retric »

frosted-flakes wrote: post #131
gwbas1c wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In shipping and logistics, time is money. Fuel can be dispensed in the US at a maximum of 10 gal/minute. Factor that against the largest charger you can find and see why the single cost difference doesn't matter yet. You charge the mail trucks overnight, when they aren't being driven. I don't know about you, but I've never seen a postman out in the evening or nighttime. I also don't know about you, but I don't stan…

No one is claiming electrification isn't practical for mail delivery vans. The grandparent comments are discussing long-haul trucking.

Long haul trucking is solved by electrifying US highways. Trains can charge from overhead lines at 200+MPH doing the same for trucks at highway speeds is relatively trivial and allows for on trip charging.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_road

An EV semi with a relatively modest 100 mile range battery easily solves the last mile problem off highways while weighing the same as a traditional ICE engine + fuel.

Re: U.S. Postal Service starts nationwide electric vehicle fleet, buying 9,250 EVs

#379

Post by Gordonjcp »

euroderf wrote: post #240
m4rtink wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah - while it seems easy/logical to just swap a normal delivery vehicle for an electric version of it, you don't really have to do that & electric vehicles do come in many more shapes and sizes due to the might higher flexibility and scalability of the electric power system. For example here in Brno, Czech Republic, the entry to the city center is nowadays quite restrictive for regular cars/vans - a lot of it is a…

Seems like this might be a case for solar panels on-board. Long delivery route, moderate speeds, open road.

What would the solar panels do, power the clock?

Re: U.S. Postal Service starts nationwide electric vehicle fleet, buying 9,250 EVs

#380

Post by Gordonjcp »

rout39574 wrote: post #357
Tade0 wrote: post #333

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suppose it makes sense to at least power the AC with them, as its drain correlates with the amount of sunlight.

AC is pretty power hungry; solar panels on the roof of an average van (best case) aren't going to make much of a dent. I find estimates of 10-20 miles per day of range in the best cases. At current prices, my sense is that solar panels on vehicles are marketing, not materially contributing to the energy budget. Nothing wrong with that but I wouldn't like to spend my feature money on the option.

> AC is pretty power hungry; solar panels on the roof of an average van (best case) aren't going to make much of a dent.

If you space them off the roof by about an inch, like the old Landrover "Safari" roof, it'll make a hell of a difference.

Post reply on HN