First USPS Hybrid Delivery Van

From the Pony Express to the postal railway car to airmail, the United States Postal Service is no stranger to the evolutionary nature of our transportation system. And now, with its first hybrid electric vehicle put into service, the U.S. Postal Service is poised to usher in a new era. A single mail delivery van - converted to hybrid electric power by electric powertrain specialist Azure Dynamics - will be closely monitored as it enters regular service delivering mail to Boston-area homes and businesses. Based on the company's other hybrid conversions, Azure Dynamics thinks the hybrid powertrain will improve the delivery van's fuel economy by 30 to 50 percent.

The U.S. Postal Service certainly has a lot to gain from better fuel economy. In making its deliveries to 145 million businesses and households six days a week, the agency burns more than 125 million gallons of motor fuel annually. Raising gas prices don't help either: every penny increase in the price of fuel costs the U.S. Postal Service an additional $8 million a year. In response, the Postal Service has accumulated a fleet of some 30,000 alternative fuel vehicles, including compressed natural gas, propane, ethanol, biodiesel, and electric vehicles. If the Boston-based trial run is a success, expect hybrids to start playing a larger role.