The United States Postal Service (USPS) is conducting tests on US-made electric bikes for mail delivery. The new electric cargo bikes are meant to reduce their reliance on gas-powered trucks.

The USPS had come under intense criticism after it announced plans to purchase 165,000 trucks from Oshkosh Defense Corp. It had stated plans of having up to 10% of the first batch accounting for electric vehicles. The percentage was increased to 20% of the first 50,000 deliveries. There was an uproar and litigation when the USPS announced its initial expansion plans.

The USPS electric cargo bike is a sturdy and well-suited bike for heavy loads. It is built by Montana-based Coaster Cycles. The electric mail bikes are built on the Freighter A W Platform. Its cargo compartment can take up to 73 sq. Ft. The compartment can hold up to 181kg of cargo.

Hydraulic disc brakes provide firm control for the cargo bike. The bike is powered by Bosch’s Cargo Line e-bike drive system. A 500Wh battery is on offer in the new e-bike. This can be scaled up with additional batteries. Automatic transmission based on Enviolo CVT provides less distraction for riders, while a backup camera and rear view mirrors are featured.

The USPS is expected to further embrace eco-friendly options in a less controversial manner. The lawsuit against USPS had shown that USPS had not carried out due diligence before signing the contract. There were indications that the environmental impact assessment was done after the contract was signed, which was unacceptable.

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