Electric vehicles from Ford let the Postal Service deliver clean air along with the mail.

(NAPSI)—When the nation’s first Postmaster General, Benjamin Franklin, discovered electricity in 1750, he probably never envisioned that one day it would be used to power the vehicles that deliver the mail—but that is exactly what’s now happening in California and the nation’s capital.

The U.S. Postal Service is putting 500 electric trucks, based on Ford’s Ranger EV, into service this year.

“Ford Motor Company is committed to helping create a market for environmentally sustainable transportation,” said John Wallace, executive director of Ford Motor Company’s TH!NK Group. “Mail delivery is the perfect application for an electric vehicle, and the Ranger EV is the perfect work truck for the United States Postal Service.”

Short, predictable routes with lots of stop-and-go driving make postal delivery trucks an ideal application for full-size electric vehicles. The vehicle’s 50-mile range can easily accommodate the average mail delivery route, which is between 15 and 20 miles per day. Recharging the vehicle overnight at a central location using off-peak power helps reduce demand on the state’s electrical supply at peak times during the day. In addition, the quiet, zero-emission operation of the vehicles makes them good for neighborhood use. Low maintenance requirements and long-life durability add to the vehicles’ benefits.

Funding for the program came from 17 partners including the State of New York, California state regulatory and environmental agencies, the Department of Energy and partner utilities.

To learn more about electric vehicles, visit the Web site at www.thinkmobility.com.