Oshkosh Defense has selected a facility in Spartanburg, SC, where the company will build the Postal Service’s next-generation delivery vehicles (NGDVs).
“Upstate South Carolina has a skilled workforce and a proven history in advanced automotive manufacturing — it’s the perfect place to produce the NGDV,” said John Bryant, the company’s president.
The Postal Service awarded its NGDV production contract to Oshkosh Defense in February.
The NGDV, a right-hand vehicle for mail and package delivery, will feature air conditioning and heating, increased cargo capacity and advanced vehicle technology.
The production contract calls for the delivery of between 50,000 and 165,000 vehicles over a 10-year period, with production expected to begin in late 2023.
The company, a subsidiary of Oshkosh Corp., will produce a fleet of both zero-emission battery vehicles and fuel-efficient, low-emission internal combustion engine vehicles, with the option of producing any combination of models.
The NGDVs, along with other vehicles, will replace the Postal Service’s existing fleet of delivery vehicles, many of which have been in service for more than 30 years.
Oshkosh expects to hire more than 1,000 workers for the Spartanburg facility. On-site supply chain partners may have additional openings, as well.
John Pfeifer, president of Oshkosh Corp., said the company is committed “to engineering and delivering a wide range of electric vehicles featuring new sustainable technologies. Now the company’s innovative NGDV will bring these sustainable technologies into every American neighborhood.”
The NGDVs are part of Delivering for America, the 10-year plan to modernize the Postal Service and achieve financial stability.
