Oshkosh Defense NGDV Mail Truck Spotted In California
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A Reddit user snapped a photograph of the new 2023 Oshkosh Defense Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV) mail truck this week, giving us an early look at the vehicle in the real world before it’s deployed by the United States Postal Service next year.
The USPS announced last February that Oshkosh Defense had been awarded the $3.1 billion federal contract to provide it with 50,000 to 165,000 mail trucks over a period of 10 years. Oshkosh was up against two other companies to win the contract, Workhorse and Karsan, however Workhorse eventually emerged as the company’s central rival in the bidding process.
When the USPS announced Oshkosh had received the contract, Workhorse attempted to sue the government agency, alleging there was bias in the selection process. Workhorse later dropped the suit amid internal controversies within the company driven by a short-seller report that accused it of fraud.
With Workhorse out of the picture, Oshkosh is now working to deliver the first examples of its NGDV mail truck to the USPS. The Reddit user that captured the above spy photo saw the vehicle, which is designed to accommodate both gasoline and battery-electric powertrains, being loaded into a truck in Saticoy, California. In addition to a more spacious cabin, larger cargo section and up-to-date powertrains, the Oshkosh NGDV will also offer other advantages, including air conditioning and heating, improved ergonomics, 360-degree exterior cameras, traction control, air bags and front and rear collision avoidance with automatic braking.
Grumman LLV
The Grumman Long Life Vehicle (LLV) that the NGDV will replace was based on General Motors hardware. These vehicles ride a modified version of the GMT330 platform, along with either a 2.5L Iron Duke I-4 gasoline engine or a GM 2.2L I-4. These vehicles also incorporated the front suspension and instrument cluster from the Chevy S-10. The USPS has a fleet of roughly 140,00 Grumman LLV vehicles, which will be slowly replaced by the NGDV over the coming years.
While GM did not attempt to bid for the USPS contract, the automaker’s GM Defense arm recently won a separate federal contract for the U.S. Army with its Chevy Colorado-based Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV).
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That huge windshield will be expensive to replace. Just ask anyone who has ever owned a Class A motor home
To me it’s very ugly and bulky looking not very aerodynamic and it looks like it would be a wind catcher and squirrely if strong wind caught it.
With the Postal Service talking about some of them being EV how much is it going to cost to put in charging stations and how many well they put in because some post offices have fifty or more mail trucks that work out of them. And because of this that means that stamps well probably be going up in price again.
I read an article in the Wall Street Journal a few weeks ago and the cost of a charging station was shocking, over $100,000. per if memory serves. Of course the post office would not have to aquire property and that would help, but they aren’t cheap. Lets face it, until the Electric grid converts from fossil fuels to renewable energy, all you’re really doing is moving the pollution from one place to another.
They needn’t try so hard to make it so ugly. Drivers need not to be in AZ to fry like ants with all that glass. There is the issue of safty as well! What makes anyone think this will improve service by making workers miserable?
Hope the windshield defroster works!