Entire Federal Vehicle Fleet to be EVs

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Tesla Semi.

The Beast was built around a Chevrolet Kodiak frame, so there might be a reasonable precedent for the Tesla Semi to eventually play a similar role.

[Piotrsko]

I hope the do the language better on the regulations. I bought federal stuff for a government contractor and I had to buy american from supposedly vetted American sources. Still ended up with imported schlock bought from those vendors, but that was legal.

[Hersbird]

Well on monday I take over as the fleet manager for my local post office with about 55 trucks. This is great news for my job security as it will mean another big delay in replacing the ancient current fleet. The contract was ready to be awarded for the replacements and one had an electric possibility, but I very much doubt it was ready for the entire volume. Talk about environmental disasters, the current fleet averages well under 10 MPG. I was at Napa the other day buying 10 cases of oil and 10 more of tranny fluid and they said you must do a lot of oil changes. I told them another shop does all the oil changes, these fluids just replace the stuff that has leaked out all over the streets over the last 6 months!

[botsapper]

Say goodbye to the Grumman LLV . India's Mahindra was one of the top EV submissions of an earlier request for proposal to replace the fleet. But the 'Made in America' top requirement has made it more difficult for them. They are scrambling for exclusive American partnerships. One of the new top EV contender is the Lordstown (former Workhorse) Motors Corp. An American company vying for the growing medium & heavy commercial trucks market. https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/l...CAD-00-10aag7d

[Hersbird]

Mahindra is definitely out unless they redo the whole deal again. Workhorse is the only pure EV of the 3 remaining possibilities and their stock is through the roof the last few days and months even. So if Biden gets his way, then Workhorse has to go from building a few thousand trucks to building 200,000 and the USPS gets to he the Guinea Pig for hub motors. The most severe duty cycle imaginable. What could possibly go wrong?

PS Lordstown dropped out and sold everything on the project to Workhorse.

[botsapper]

SPAC has many hands into Lordstown Motors. The one to watch is GM, General Motors.
https://www.barrons.com/articles/ev-...it-51596455534

[Hersbird]

Right, I'm just saying Lordstown has nothing to to with the Post Office contract, that is all Workhorse now. Workhorse does own 10% of Lordstown, but Lordstown owns none of Workhorse and does not have any connections to the Post Office contract anymore.

Workhouse is the one to watch, not so much Lordstown although it is likely Workhorse will contract parts with them if Workhorse gets the contract.

[Piotrsko]

My experiences with GSA says that you get 3 to 5 years of usng a vehicle they provided until its replaced, with exceptions for some very high mileage units. You don't get to replace them unless they are wrecked and totaled. You also don't get to choose what the vehicles are either. So in effect, this NOPRM won't do much for at least a couple of years after the EV's come online, or IMHO, another couple of national presidential elections.

If you are a government entity, you're dealing with GSA because they have the best and cheapest stuff

[freebeard]

My experiences with GSA says that you get 3 to 5 years of usng a vehicle they provided until its replaced, with exceptions for some very high mileage units.

The US Army had 'rear echelon maintenance'. Once or twice each individual truck would get the equivalent of a frame-off restoration. I was dismayed on return to civilian life, where resto-modding is a hobby.

The federal EV fleet conversion also includes the plan for building 550,000 charging stations. Followed up by a proposal to convert 500,000 school buses to clean electric power.

I just noticed this part. Buses exceed the 412,000 trucks. If the buses and chargers don't do Vehicle To Grid, that would be typical government work.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by freebeard

The US Army had 'rear echelon maintenance'. Once or twice each individual truck would get the equivalent of a frame-off restoration. I was dismayed on return to civilian life, where resto-modding is a hobby.

Sounds like a reasonable excuse to try some of those Wrightspeed extended-range electric power systems.