Alternative fuels are making inroads to the 207,680 Postal Service vehicle fleet. It recently purchased
500 electric vehicles, and plans to buy 5500 more – the largest purchase of electric vehicles to date.
440 of the vehicles will be used in California and the rest in Washington DC.
The Postal Service also acquired 11,275 FFV (flexible fuel) vehicles in addition to the 10,000 scheduled
to begin delivery this fall. Flexible-fuel vehicles use ethanol, unleaded gasoline or a combination and
are said to be 75 percent cleaner than the vehicles they are replacing. The post office currently uses
8,272 alternative fuel vehicles, either running on ethanol, natural gas, propane or electricity. They
expect the AFV fleet to grow to more than 30,000 by 2001.
The vehicles are being subsidized partially by the Department of Energy. “Being an environmental leader
requires us to step forward in support of new technology,” explained Governor Robert Rider, who chairs
the Boards Capital Projects Committee. “Our support, however, does not extend to subsidizing these
investments. Additional funding from other organizations is expected.”
The U.S. Postal Service stands out as a leader in environmental stewardship. In addition to its extensive
recycling program (one million tons last year) and recycled procurement policy ($160 million recycled
content products), it opened the first ‘green’ post office in Ft.
Worth, Texas earlier this year. Solar power systems operate at facilities in California, Texas, Colorado,
Rhode Island and Puerto Rico. Facilities in Oklahoma and Maryland use geothermal energy.
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