It seems like a natural, doesn't it? However, over the years, the USPS has run several trials of EVs. None of them has ever resulted in significant additions of EVs to their regular fleet.
Similarly, there have been many pilot programs in Europe. I don't know of any which has yet resulted in significant EV uptake. Finland's post used EVs, Elcats, and I think also a composite-bodied custom design, for several years in the 1980s. They seemed to be pretty sincere about it. But last I heard, they had eventually given up that program. When I visited the postal museum in Helsinki in 1996, one of their EV delivery vehicles was on display (unrestored and looking quite weary). (Finland in general is not EV friendly at all. They have no subsidies or other EV incentives, and in fact have a DISincentive, a surtax on EVs, as has been proposed here. One Finnish EVDLer from years ago said he thought this was because the Finnish government was unwilling to forgo the large short-term tax revenues from ICEVs for the sake of long-term environmental benefit of EVs.) In the mid- to late-1990s, German Post did an extensive trial of EVs powered by zinc-air batteries (fuel cells, really) using zinc "cassettes." The battery manufacturer was an Israel company, if memory serves. The trial carried on for quite a while but in the end I believe they concluded it wasn't a practical system. Last I heard, the battery company (Electric Fuel Corporation?) had moved into lithium battery development. It appears to me that EVs have not yet been a success in postal delivery. I can't understand why not. Anyone with other (I hope more positive) information please post it. David Roden - Akron, Ohio, USA EVDL Administrator = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = EVDL Information: http://www.evdl.org/help/ = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Note: mail sent to "evpost" and "etpost" addresses will not reach me. To send a private message, please obtain my email address from the webpage http://www.evdl.org/help/ . = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
