Blink Charging ($BLNK) revealed Thursday it has won an IDIQ (indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity) contract with the United States Postal Service (USPS) to sell up to 41,500 EV chargers to power the expanding USPS fleet of electric vehicles.
After Joe Biden took office, one of his earliest pledges was to transition the federal government fleet to all-electric.
That’s why when the USPS announced in early 2021 it had awarded a new contract to update its 30+-year-old fleet with 165,00 new vehicles, we were led to believe it would be fully electric ones. That didn’t happen.
Instead, the Postal Service revealed it would purchase only 10% all-electric of the total with a contract initially awarded to Oshkosh Defense.
The decision led to much opposition with several lawsuits and was even questioned by Congress. Feeling the pressure, the USPS reversed its decision, committing to buying 100% electric trucks by 2026 this past December. (We’ll have to deal with 75% until then.)
More recently, the agency revealed it would buy 9,250 Ford E-Transits as it moves forward with its plans. In addition, the USPS said it would purchase 14,000 EV charging stations.
However, with 165,000 new vehicles, 14,000 charging stations will not cut it. Today, we are learning a huge portion of the EV chargers will come from leading manufacturer Blink Charging.
Blink Charging to sell up to 41,500 EV chargers to the USPS
Blink Charging revealed Thursday in a press release it was awarded an IDIQ contract by the USPS to provide up to 41,5000 EV charging stations to support the agency’s electric vehicle commitments.
The leading EV charging company said it would provide its Series 7 dual-port charger featuring 80 amps of power. The Series 7 Level 2 charger allows two EVs to plug in simultaneously on the universal J1772 connector (19.2kW). CEO of Blink Charging commented on the new contract, saying:
The Postal Service’s recent announcement of purchasing more EVs and building the necessary charging infrastructure is another step in developing a complete transition in going electric. This move towards electrification sets a precedent that we are hopeful all fleet owners will follow.
Blink says that due to their NEMA 3R outdoor rating enclosure, the units can be installed indoors or outdoors. A standard 18-foot cable provides plenty of reach to charge the vehicles across parking spots, but a 25-foot upgrade is optional.
Electrek’s Take
With 41,500 units capable of charging two electric vehicles at a time, the contract will be able to power 83,000 of the planned 165,000 new EVs the USPS plans to deploy.
This is a significant contract for both Blink Charging and the USPS as we move closer toward a fully electric future.
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