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Postal Service Orders 10,000 Ethanol Vehicles From Ford

23 September 1998

Postal Service Orders 10,000 Ethanol Vehicles From Ford; Will Be Largest Ethanol Fleet in America

    WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 -- The U.S. Postal Service has ordered
10,000 ethanol-powered vehicles, which will become the largest such fleet in
the country.
    The customized vehicles will be manufactured by Ford Motor Company, which
has been awarded a $204.6 million contract by the Postal Service.
    The new postal vehicles will be used to replace old equipment and will be
able to operate either with ethanol or conventional gasoline.
    "When fully deployed, the Postal Service will have the largest fleet of
ethanol-capable powered vehicles in the country,"  Nick Barranca, vice
president of operations support for the postal service, said.
    Under terms of the Ford contract, 500 new ethanol vehicles will be
delivered in May, 1999, and another 9,500 over the following 12 months.
    Barranca said the new ethanol vehicles will have a larger cargo capacity
than current models, allowing postal workers to handle growing volumes of mail
and packages.  Ford will customize the vehicles, using a Ford Explorer chassis
and installing right-hand drive.
    The U.S. Postal Service awarded the contract to Ford in compliance with
the Energy Policy Act of 1992.
    Earlier, the Postal Service had conducted tests of ethanol-powered
vehicles in Illinois, Iowa and the District of Columbia.  Those tests used
Ford Windstar minivans powered by E85, a clean-air fuel made of 85 percent
ethanol and 15 percent conventional gasoline.