Unfortunately, the USPS has decided not to lead the way on the electric vehicle future as so many hoped just a few weeks ago. As I tried to warn you, it was always exceedingly unlikely the USPS would buy an electric-only fleet, and indeed that has come to pass.?

The new vehicle will have both an internal combustion engine and electric version, according to the press release, but did not say how many of each would be made. The electric versions "can be retrofitted to keep pace with advances in electric vehicle technologies," the press release added, although it's not clear what exactly this means. I initially read this as leaving open the possibility that gas versions could later be converted to electric, although that is a time-consuming, expensive, and laborious undertaking for one car, much less tens of thousands of them. It could also mean the EV versions can have batteries and drivetrains easily swapped, but as anyone who has, say, had an engine or transmission replaced in their gas car knows, that's not particularly novel. The USPS did not respond to a request for more information on these questions before publication.