Motiv Power Systems will be providing the United States Postal Service (USPS) seven Ford E-450 based all-electric step delivery vans to save fuel and maintenance costs leading to an overall reduction of total cost of ownership.

USPS will be testing the Motiv EPIC chassis for mail delivery as part of a larger year-long, 15-vehicle pilot project to prove the efficacy of electric-powered delivery vans while reducing air emissions in the Fresno area–particularly in the San Joaquin Valley that has recorded the highest pollution burdens in the country.

“We’re proud to now be a part of USPS’ long tradition of implementing the latest technology to green their fleet,” said Motiv CEO, Jim Castelaz. “Our all-electric EPIC chassis’ have accumulated 500,000 real-world miles and are ideally suited to the USPS vehicle route characteristics. We’re thrilled that USPS has chosen Motiv to help meet their sustainability goals.”

This project is part of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) funding program, to provide an incentive to local fleets to invest and adopt clean technologies and advance California’s Air Quality and Climate goals to reduce pollution.

The acquisition of the vans was made possible by the California Climate Investments, a statewide program that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy and improving public health and the environment.

The vans are known for their durability and efficiency, with a range of 136.7 kilometers and a 106 kWh battery pack capacity. They are expected to cut the cost of ownership by 30%, saving 8706.4 L of fuel a year.