USPS set to buy Canoo electric vans

Electric van manufacturer Canoo announced a highly visible deal with the United States Postal Service (USPS), which will see the USPS acquire a handful of right-hand drive versions of the company’s LDV 190 delivery van.

Canoo announced that the USPS will purchase six (6) battery-electric Canoo vehicles. In its official press release, the company said that it was “honored” to participate in the post office’s evaluation of potential suppliers as the USPS moves towards the “groundbreaking electrification and modernization” of its national delivery fleet.

“The multi-purpose (LDV 190) platform with steer-by-wire technology and a unique low-profile suspension system allows for a readily configurable right-hand drive system while maintaining desired roll and ride stability,” said Tony Aquila, Investor, Executive Chairman, and CEO of Canoo, citing some the ways the USPS might benefit from Canoo’s patented technologies to deliver enhanced functionality, safety, and ergonomics.

The deal closely follows an announcement from Kingbee that a handful of early production Canoo electric vans had joined its rental fleet, and is part of the USPS’s $40 billion investment strategy to upgrade and improve the organization’s processing, transportation, and delivery networks in the coming years.

Electrek’s Take

The USPS rolled out its first EV charging stations just yesterday, and seems (finally) to be taking delivery of the more than 9,000 Ford E-Transit electric delivery vans it ordered last year. This Canoo order, while small, seems to indicate that they’re still searching for that “perfect fit” EV, and that there might yet be some really big USPS orders still up for grabs.