Navistar awarded diesel re-power development contract for US Postal Service delivery vehicle fleet
22 June 2011
Navistar, Inc. has been awarded a development contract by the United States Postal Service (USPS) under which Navistar will engineer a diesel powertrain replacement for USPS delivery vehicles. Navistar’s re-powered diesel vehicle effort is designed to significantly reduce the escalating service and fuel costs associated with the USPS’s aging fleet.
Under terms of the contract, the USPS will deliver one of its Long Life Vehicles (LLV) to Navistar Engine Group’s Engineering and Technical Center in Melrose Park, Illinois, where the company’s in-house re-power engineering department will develop, install and test a diesel powertrain that features Navistar’s MaxxForce 3.2-liter turbodiesel engine. Financial terms were not disclosed.
A proven diesel re-power solution could be used to upgrade USPS vehicles over the next decade. Diesel powertrains can achieve fuel economy gains of up to 35% when compared to some gasoline powertrains. Further savings would be gained from diesel’s lower maintenance requirements, longer service life, and overall lower cost of ownership. Navistar estimates the USPS could realize payback on each re-powered vehicle in as little as two years depending on maintenance and fuel costs.
This has been known for decades.
Posted by: HarveyD | 22 June 2011 at 08:41 AM
If USPS can reduce fuel costs, it will help the bottom line.
Posted by: SJC | 22 June 2011 at 08:48 AM
3.2 liters for a delivery vehicle? How horrendously excessive that is. The usual Postal Service Jeep needs 1.5 liters or less.
Posted by: Engineer-Poet | 24 June 2011 at 07:46 PM