Would the Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive make a good Postal Delivery Vehicle?

Well, seems to me one thing holding hybrids back is they are made in Japan, so I think we'd have to go with FORD, but GM would be upset. So USA we like plug-ins as that is more USA technology and more dispersed as far as auto maker options.

 

There are quite a few rural mail carriers in my area who use them for their routes.

 

The biggest problem facing that proposal might be the politics.

The reality of the benefits of adopting The Prius as a nationwide postal delivery vehicle vs. "Toyota is a Japanese Company".

Personally? I'd have no problem. IMO Toyota may of started and be based in Japan, but as one of the largest automakers in the WORLD, Toyota is a global company. Including Toyota USA.

But there would surely be an outcry if the United States Postal Service, moved to adopt Prius across the nation.

If you could get people to understand the benefits, and NOT freak out about it being Toyota and not Ford or GM? I think it's a great idea.

 

wouldn't last a week in my cowboy mailman's hands.

 

yes it is already being used in locales which rely on personal vehicles to deliver mail. It is definitely a good uber and pizza delivery platform.

 

Rural carriers were and may still be, allowed to use their own vehicles at a set reimbursement rate per mile.
IIRC , the standard Long Life Vehicle used by USPS is made by Grumman and was designed to last several hundred thousand miles in city service. Their capacity is larger than a Prius, though, and that make the Prius not feasible for large city routes. Using HSD in the Grumman LLV would be interesting.

 

bill can pull that off.

 

Maybe some political compromise if Toyota were to build these in the U.S.. Could extend their market offerings to FedEx and UPS too.

Not to mention reducing so much micro-local pollution that these stop-and-go vehicles also deliver to our doors.

 

The USPS has already started the bidding process for the LLV replacement. There is an old thread on it here somewhere. A hybrid or plugin should shine on most routes.

 

Why should Government Motors be upset? They already stole 13 billion $$$ from the taxpayers (read the Treasury "forgave" Government Motors on the "loan" bailout.

Government Motors should be very happy they robbed us!

DBCassidy

 

They stole more than that from me, I was a GM bond holder and we really got screwed.

 

we,ve got the little square boxes around here. about 150-250 feet between mailboxes, will the hsd stand up to being floored for a few seconds, then slamming the brakes on all day long?