Bright Automotive awarded electric vehicle contract with Postal Service

Bright Automotive has been awarded a contract by the United States Postal Service (USPS) to develop and test an electric postal delivery vehicle. Under the contract, Bright Automotive’s eSolutions team will retrofit a standard USPS Long Life Vehicle (LLV) with its integrated electric drivetrain, and place the vehicle in real-world service for one year in the Washington D.C. area.

Distinguished from other award recipients, Bright Automotive’s team is producing the IDEA, a purpose-built, lightweight, aerodynamic, all aluminum light commercial vehicle. Some of the same enabling technology developed on the IDEA will be directly applied to the EV propulsion conversion of the LLV. Applying the rear electric drive of the IDEA PHEV powertrain to the LLV positions Bright Automotive’s conversion with proven production-intent technology.

“We are thrilled to be working with the USPS to demonstrate how systems thinking can achieve economic solutions that reduce the cost to own and operate the USPS fleet,” says John E. Waters, CEO and president of Bright Automotive. “The adaptation of the electric drive system from our production vehicle uniquely distinguishes Bright Automotive’s LLV conversion in terms of technology, durability and cost. In addition, our analysis and experience in vehicle electrification, vehicle ownership and financing, fleet maintenance, service and infrastructure development, has shown that an electrified fleet will save the USPS millions of dollars annually, eliminate tons of emissions, and reduce dependence on oil.”

The Bright eSolutions retrofit LLV is fully electric, uses no gasoline, and is capable of covering a high percentage of existing postal service routes. After delivery to the USPS in July 2010, the vehicle will go into service in the metro Washington D.C. area for at least one year.

Bright eSolutions is also collaborating with a top Tier 1 automotive supplier, EDAG, Inc., another recipient of a USPS LLV conversion contract. Bright eSolutions is providing powertrain hardware and software support for two of the five contracts awarded under the program.

The USPS currently operates 142,000 LLVs, which average less than 20 miles of driving per day and have an average fuel economy of only 10 mpg.

For more information, visit www.brightautomotive.com.