OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — The U.S. Postal Service announced Thursday that it has placed its first order of new delivery vehicles with Oshkosh Defense.
Referred to as Next Generation Delivery Vehicles, a news release states the initial order is for 50,000 NGDVs and is valued at $2.98 billion.
The next-generation vehicles are intended to be more energy-efficient, as the company says it will make zero-emission battery electric vehicles and fuel-efficient low-emission internal combustion engine vehicles.
According to the Associated Press, environmental groups are pushing back, saying the Postal Service should commit to ensuring 100% of the vehicles are battery-powered.
Oshkosh Defense, a subsidiary of Oshkosh Corporation, says it will not make the vehicles in Wisconsin. Instead, the company says the vehicles will be manufactured in their Spartanburg, South Carolina factory.
According to a previous report from the Associated Press, Oshkosh Defense’s decision not to build the vehicles in Wisconsin has drawn blowback from lawmakers such as Senator Tammy Baldwin. Baldwin, along with other lawmakers and unionized workers in Oshkosh, have been working to persuade the company to locate the jobs in Wisconsin.
Oshkosh won the NGDV contract in February 2021. Production of the new vehicles is expected to begin in 2023.
This article contains content from the Associated Press.
