Newly designed postal service vehicles made in SC hit the road across the US

The U.S. Postal Service has received about 4,300 of its next generation delivery vehicles made in Spartanburg. In all, 700 are battery electric vehicles and 17 of them are being used by post offices in South Carolina.

The Postal Service has placed orders for 51,500 next generation vehicles, 35,000 are battery electric vehicles.

The $9.6 billion upgrade of the delivery fleet is expected to include 106,000 vehicles by 2028, including 45,000 battery-electric next-generation delivery vehicles and 21,000 commercial-off-the-shelf battery-electric vehicles.

Kanickewa Johnson, spokesperson for the Postal Service, said the agency also has received Ford E-Transits that she described as commercial off the shelf vehicles.

“As such, the majority of BEVs on the road to date, or in the process of deployment, are Ford E-Transits,” she said. “More than 2,900 BEVs are currently delivering mail across 70 sites, and an additional 6,900 are in the process of being deployed.”

USPS is also adding charging stations.

“The new fleet rollout is proceeding well, aligned with our plan,” Justin Glass, the Postal Service’s fleet management senior director, said in a story in a USPS employee news publication.

Oshkosh Defense, a Wisconsin company, spent $155 million to reconfigure an existing warehouse in the Flatwood Industrial Park, about 20 miles from the BMW manufacturing plant.

The company said it expects to hire about 1,000 people.

Oshkosh Corporation, the parent company of Oshkosh Defense, was criticized by the UAW for shifting production to South Carolina.

Also, Senate Republicans attempted to terminate $3 billion of the deal after a Washington Post story revealed Oshkosh Defense delivered 93 of an expected 3,000 last December as a result of slowed production.

The vehicles are the first large-scale purchase by the Postal Service in 30 years. The contract calls for 50,000 to 165,000 vehicles over a period of 10 years.

Founded in 1917, Oshkosh makes a line of military vehicles for combat such as mine resistant ambush protected vehicles and other tactical vehicles.

Production began in 2023.

The Postal Service employee news publication said the new design has better visibility, ergonomic seating, air conditioning, safety features and increased cargo capacity.

The vehicle also has a 360-degree camera, parking assistance and enough headroom for the carrier to get mail from the back without getting out.

This story was originally published December 31, 2025 at 6:00 AM.