Govt watchdog faults Postal Service analysis of new trucks – By David Sharp and Matthew Daly (Associated Press) / April 6, 2022
The U.S. Postal Service relied on false assumptions as it evaluated purchases of a new generation of delivery vehicles, a government watchdog said Tuesday.
Jill Naamane of the Government Accountability Office told a House hearing that a Postal Service analysis used to justify a mix of gas and electric vehicles overstated maintenance costs of electric vehicles and relied on gas prices that don’t reflect current price spikes.
While the Postal Service estimated in 2020 that gas would cost $2.21 to $2.36 per gallon, the national average in March was $4.24 per gallon, according to the AAA Gas Prices website.
The Postal Service also failed to account for lower gas mileage of gas-powered vehicles while using air-conditioning or place a premium on electric vehicles’ reduction of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, Naamane said.
