Cummins Inc. has begun delivering eight all-electric vehicles to the United States Postal Service (USPS) for testing in California.
The fully electric vans, equipped with Cummins PowerDrive technology, are expected to eliminate vehicle emissions and reduce fuel and maintenance costs for the USPS, says Cummins.
The USPS’ pilot program, made possible by a grant from the California Air Resources Board to the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District and administered by CALSTART, will place the zero-emission vehicles in Fresno and Stockton. Cummins will also provide operator training, vehicle support and data collection.
The eight vans, which will be in service by March 31, have an all-electric range of up to 85 miles, with a full load on urban drive cycles, says Cummins. The vans use the same charging system as passenger electric vehicles (SAE J1772 Level 2) and can reach a full charge in about eight hours.
In 2017, Cummins announced its commitment to invest $500 million in electrification across many applications, markets and regions over a period of three years. Last year, the company announced partnerships and collaborations with on- and off-highway OEMs that are working on electrification solutions in products ranging from bus to medium-duty trucks, light commercial vehicles, excavators and drayage trucks.