They’re boxy, but they’re good: The new NGDVs boast improved cargo space, a more comfy cabin, and efficient drivetrain configurations. (Image/U.S. Post Office)

Move over Dispatcher Jeep and step aside Grumman LLV—The United States Post Office is getting itself an all-new ride.

The USPS just announced that it’s awarded a 10-year contract to Oshkosh, Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Defense to build a new mail truck. It’s the latest chapter in the Post Office’s storied history of mail delivery vehicles.

Dubbed simply the “Next Generation Delivery Vehicle,” or NGDV if you’re short on time, this new truck is designed specifically for the USPS. It, of course, is right-hand drive, and boasts a ton of updates from its predecessor, the venerable (yet rapidly aging) Grumman LLV.

The NGDV was designed, in part, to address the rise of eCommerce and increased package deliveries the USPS is tasked with. (Image/U.S. Post Office)

For starters, it has air conditioning and heating, and an improved cabin arrangement to make the NGDV more comfortable. It’ll also pack-in some slick electronic gizmos, including 360-degree cameras, traction control, and front/rear crash avoidance systems. Interior space optimization will increase the NGDV’s cargo capabilities too.

Viewed from the side, it’s easy to see the NGDV’s accessibility, cabin, and cargo box. (Image/U.S. Post Office)

But the most interesting feature is perhaps under the hood, where the USPS says the NGDV can be equipped with either a fuel-efficient internal combustion engine or an electric motor. Yep, in one configuration, the NGDV is going to be an electric vehicle.

More importantly, Oshkosh Defense says the NGDV is designed to be easily retrofitted with newer powertrains as they develop—and given how fast the automotive technology sector moves nowadays, powertrain flexibility is probably a really good idea.

The current Post Office fleet tops 230,000 vehicles, with many of those in service for 30+ years. This new contract promises to update that fleet with 50,000 to 165,000 NGDVs in the next ten years.

The USPS says the first of those new NGDVs should be hitting neighborhoods in 2023.

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