It’s Electric: Developing the Postal Service Fleet of the Future
On Tuesday, April 5, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. ET, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, will hold a hearing to examine the benefits, opportunities, and challenges of electrifying the Postal Service fleet through the acquisition of the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV).
Opening Statement Witnesses- Tammy L. Whitcomb, Inspector General, United States Postal Service
- Victoria K. Stephen, Executive Director, Next Generation Delivery Vehicle, United States Postal Service
- Jill M. Naamane, Acting Director, Physical Infrastructure Team, Government Accountability Office
- Joe Britton, Executive Director, Zero Emission Transportation Association
- Kenny Stein, Director, Policy, Institute for Energy Research
“It is critical for our environment and our future that the Postal Service rapidly transition to an electric fleet,” said Chairwoman Maloney. “The federal government should be leading the way, not falling behind private companies that are already moving ahead to save money and curb climate change by electrifying their fleets. I look forward to this critical hearing to examine how the Postal Service can acquire and deploy electric vehicles and the additional steps Congress can take to support the Postal Service’s transition to the fleet of the future.”
In February 2021, the Postal Service awarded Oshkosh Corporation a contract to build its NGDV, which requires Oshkosh to build up to 165,000 internal combustion engine or battery electric vehicles for the Postal Service over ten years. The Postal Service later announced it would purchase only 5,000 electric vehicles in its initial order.
On March 14, 2022, the Oversight Committee requested that the Postal Service Inspector General examine whether the Postal Service had met its environmental obligations in connection with this acquisition.
Ten days later, on March 24, 2022, the Postal Service announced its initial purchase order with Oshkosh for 50,000 NGDVs, of which at least 10,000 will be electric—twice the number of electric vehicles the Postal Service previously planned to purchase in its initial order.
The hearing will examine the significant domestic environmental and public health benefits, as well as valuable cost savings, of transitioning the Postal Service fleet to electric vehicles. Major private sector fleets are increasingly becoming electric because electric vehicles are more cost-effective in the long run due to lower maintenance and fuel costs.
Charging Forward: Securing American Manufacturing and Our EV Future
- Bob Holycross, Vice President, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering, Ford Motor Company
- Natalie King, Chief Executive Officer, Dunamis Clean Energy Partners, LLC
- Cassandra Powers, Senior Managing Director, National Association of State Energy Officials
- Thomas Pyle, President, Institute for Energy Research (Republican witness)
The Electric Drive Answer: Transportation Technologies & Policies to End Oil Dependence
The Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA), with support from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, invites you to The Electric Drive Answer: Transportation Technologies & Policies to End Oil Dependence.
During this unique multi-industry panel, EDTA members will detail their latest projects and plans for battery, hybrid, plug-in and fuel cell electric drive vehicles, components and infrastructure. They will also discuss how federal policies can speed the commercialization of clean, efficient electric drive and reduce the role of oil in transportation.
EDTA members from the following companies will participate: Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai Motor Company, Toyota, Southern California Edison, Johnson Controls-Saft Advanced Power Solutions, Electrovaya, EnerDel, Phoenix Motorcars, and Vectrix.
Panelists:- Mike Andrew, Director of Government Affairs and External Communications, HEV Battery Systems Power Solutions, Johnson Controls-Saft Advanced Power Solutions
- Edward B. Cohen, Vice President, Government & Industry Relations, Honda North America
- Dr. Sankar Das Gupta, CEO, Electrovaya (or another representative)
- Daniel J. Elliott, CEO, Phoenix Motorcars
- Charles Gassenheimer, Chairman of the Board, Ener1
- Nancy Gioia, Director of Sustainable Mobility Technologies and Hybrid Vehicle Programs, Ford Motor Company
- Charles Ing, Director, Government Affairs, Toyota
- Andrew J. MacGowan, Executive Chairman, CEO, & President, Vectrix
- William MacLeod, Senior Manager, Government Affairs, Hyundai Motor Company
- Dean Taylor, Technical Specialist, Southern California Edison
- Joseph Trahern, Director Legislative and Regulatory Affairs, General Motors
This event is free and open to everyone. Pre-registration is not required. Please forward this notice. For more information please contact EDTA by visiting www.electricdrive.org or by contacting Jennifer Watts at 202-408-0774×306 or jwatts@electricdrive.org.
About EDTA: The Electric Drive Transportation Association is a trade association representing battery, hybrid and fuel cell electric drive technologies and infrastructure. EDTA’s membership includes major automotive and other equipment manufacturers, electric utilities, technology developers, component suppliers, and government agencies.
Energy Storage Technologies: State of Development for Stationary and Vehicular Applications
- Patricia Hoffman, Deputy Director Research and Development, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability
- Brad Roberts, Chairman, Electricity Storage Association
- Larry Dickerman, Director Distribution Engineering Services for American Electric Power
- Tom Key, Technical Leader, Renewable and Distributed Generations, Electric Power Research Institute
- Lynda Ziegler, Sr. Vice President for Customer Services at Southern California Edison
- Mary Ann Wright, Vice President and General Manager Hybrid Systems for Johnson Controls
- Denise Gray, Director Hybrid Energy Storage Systems, General Motors
Committee press release: Today, the House Committee on Science and Technology’s Subcommittee on Energy and Environment considered the status of developing competitive energy storage systems for stationary and vehicular applications – both of which could provide significant economic and environmental benefits for improving the nation’s energy storage capability.
“Better energy storage technologies will also enable us to operate electric utilities in a more flexible and efficient manner. Energy storage can also help us respond to power outages more efficiently, providing greater electricity reliability. This could be vital for maintaining operations at critical facilities such as hospitals during a natural disaster,” said Subcommittee Chairman Nick Lampson (D-TX).
In the context of the hearing, the Subcommittee also discussed draft legislation entitled Energy Storage Technology Advancement Act of 2007, a bill soon to be introduced by Committee Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN).
“Energy storage is also critical for the next generation of vehicles, which will help reduce our dependence on foreign oil and lower greenhouse gas emissions,” added Chairman Gordon. “I also think public-private partnerships can improve the production process for advanced vehicle components so that the U.S. becomes a leader in manufacturing these breakthrough technologies. With so many benefits of energy storage technologies, I think additional federal investment to research, test and advance these systems should be a priority.”
Broad deployment of energy storage technologies can help to improve the operational efficiency and reliability of our electricity delivery system, and allow for more diversified electricity sources and vehicle models that reduce our dependence on foreign energy supplies and address concerns about global climate change. However, there is concern that the U.S. is falling behind in the race to develop and manufacture a wide range of energy storage technologies, and a significant effort is underway to build up a domestic energy storage industry for both stationary and vehicular applications.
At this hearing Committee Members sought a better understanding of the state of energy storage technologies and how the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) energy storage program could further advance these technologies.
Today, electricity is generated as it is used, with very little electricity being stored for later use. While this system has worked for decades, it is not very efficient. Demand for power varies greatly throughout the day and throughout the year as demands for lighting, heating and cooling fluctuate through the seasons. Because the capacity for generation of power matches the consumption of power, the electricity supply system must be sized to generate enough electricity to meet the maximum anticipated demand, or peak demand.
This inefficiency becomes more evident when considering that it is possible that the peak electricity demand for any given year could be for a very short period – a few days or even hours. Rather than maintain massive generation systems that are designed around a short-lived peak demand, energy storage technologies would provide a means to stockpile energy for later use and essentially reduce the need to generate more power during times of peak electricity demand.
Advances in energy storage technologies are often regarded as key to increasing the reliability and widespread use of many renewable energy technologies. Together, potential benefits from broad deployment of energy storage technologies would help to improve our energy security. Because our economy relies heavily on an affordable and reliable electricity delivery system, the energy security benefits achieved from greater use of energy storage systems could be significant.
“With both stationary and mobile energy storage, we cannot let an opportunity to establish a domestic manufacturing base for these technologies pass us by. And unfortunately, we may already be losing this race. New R&D activities with the Department of Energy are critical to advancing energy storage technologies, and we should pursue this aggressively to ensure U.S. participation in this field,” added Chairman Lampson.
Witnesses reported that there are a number of promising energy storage technologies being developed for different applications, but there is still a role for the federal government to help accelerate energy storage technologies into the marketplace.
Ms. Lynda Ziegler, Sr. Vice President for Customer Services at Southern California Edison testified, “We believe that with continued engineering advances and appropriate public policy support, the widespread use of advanced batteries in plug-in vehicles and in stationary storage applications will become one of the nation’s most effective strategies in the broader effort to address energy security, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce air pollutants.”
Ms. Mary Ann Wright, Vice President and General Manager Hybrid Systems for Johnson Controls added, “I passionately believe that electrification of the vehicle powertrain in part or in whole can make a dominant contribution to America’s energy security and transportation sustainability. Electric powertrains by nature are incredibly more efficient than their internal combustions counterparts.”