.: Postal Service Expands Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle Testing To West Coast -

IRVINE, Calif.—With anticipation of cleaner air, improved energy efficiency, and no reliance on imported oil, the U.S. Postal Service has signed an agreement with General Motors to extend for another year hydrogen fuel cell vehicle testing in the Washington, D.C., area and to expand the program to the West Coast. The announcement was made today at the unveiling of a GM HydroGen3 minivan that will be added to the Postal Service’s Irvine, Calif., mail delivery fleet.For the past two years, the Postal Service has been collecting and analyzing data from GM’s hydrogen fuel cell minivan, which has been delivering mail three days a week. Though the technology is still being refined, Postal Service engineers say that the minivan has held up well to the rigors of stop-and-go driving and cold weather.
“The Postal Service has a long history of helping to develop nearly every major mode of transportation used in the last 230 years,” said Walter O’Tormey, Vice President, Engineering, U.S. Postal Service. “GM is helping to lead the way to a hydrogen-powered future—with advanced technologies that are more energy efficient, kinder to the environment, and help increase the energy security of our country.”A vehicle powered by hydrogen fuel cells emits just pure water and is twice as energy efficient as an internal combustion engine.The Postal Service has more than 37,000 alternative-fuel vehicles in its fleet—the largest in the nation. The agency is currently evaluating other kinds of alternative fuels, such as biodiesel; an electric vehicle and those that run on compressed natural gas and ethanol. As an organization that drives more than 1.2 billion miles a year, the Postal Service is in a unique position to lead the way to an alternative-fuel economy, according to O’Tormey.About the USPSSince 1775, the United States Postal Service and its predecessor, the Post Office Department, have connected friends, families, neighbors and businesses by mail. An independent federal agency that visits more than 144 million homes and businesses every day, the Postal Service is the only service provider delivering to every address in the nation. It receives no taxpayer dollars for routine operations, but derives its operating revenues solely from the sale of postage, products and services. With annual revenues of $70 billion, it is the world’s leading provider of mailing and delivery services, offering some of the most affordable postage rates in the world. The U.S. Postal Service delivers more than 46 percent of the world’s mail volume—some 212 billion letters, advertisements, periodicals and packages a year—and serves ten million customers each day at its 37,000 retail locations nationwide.About GMGeneral Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world’s largest automaker, has been the global industry sales leader for 75 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 327,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33 countries. In 2005, 9.17 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com . Source: USPS
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