Postal Service's Bright move for environmental vehicles

WASHINGTON DC // The US Postal service has teamed up with electric vehicle manufacturer Bright Automotive in its bid to run a more environmentally friendly fleet. There are 142,000 US Postal Service vehicles on the road but the USPS has not yet set any targets or deadlines for EVs. Bright's project with the USPS will trial the retrofit of mail delivery vehicles with an electric drivetrain on the streets of Washington DC. The USPS is also working with AutoPort, a car conversion centre, and AC Propulsion, an EV developer to test a truck in Washington DC. But an application to the US Department of Energy by Bright for funding into further EV research has not yet been approved. The US$25 billion Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing loan programme has already granted $8 billion for Tesla Motors, Nissan and Ford last year, as well as another $1.4 billion for Nissan in January.