USPS joins Amazon, UPS looking to deliver with UAS from electric van

US Postal Service Looks into UAS

The likes of GM and Nissan are keeping unusual company in the bidding war to build and deliver the next generation of delivery vehicles for the U.S. Postal Service. Workhorse Group Inc. have made it to the 16-company shortlist with their octocopter drone delivery system, developed by the University of Cincinnati College of Engineering and Applied Science. The self-guiding UAV 'HorseFly' has multiple hardware and software redundancy systems and launches from its special host van 'WorkHorse' to get the parcel the final hurdle to the door. The drone can recharge itself wirelessly in two minutes at base, and calculates its own routes from the van to the destination door.

The Dream of Delivery Drones Is Alive (And On A Truck) | Popular Science

Loveland company develops drone delivery truck | WVXU

Inside a nondescript Loveland building, AMP Electric Vehicles is putting the finishing touches on the electric delivery trucks it’s building for UPS.
[AMP Holding CEO Steve Burns Interviewed On TheStreet.com - TheStreet] United Parcel Service ordered 18 of them for its Houston market and AMP CEO Steve Burns is trying to convince them to buy more of the electric trucks.
The electric truck
Burns says these quieter, cleaner trucks do have a higher up-front cost, but cost just $.30 per mile to run compared to $1.00 per mile with gas and maintenance in a regular truck. The battery pack consists of 8,000 Panasonic cells. He says a small gas generator provides a trickle charge.
The drone component
There will be an add-on drone for any company that wants it once commercial drones are approved by the FAA.
The horsefly drone was developed by AMP electric vehicles and University of Cincinnati researchers. It comes complete with four cameras and eight rotors.



 

[Avionics Today 04-22-2015] The United States Postal Service (USPS) has released a shortlist of companies bidding to build its next generation of delivery vehicles — and an Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) company is among them. Workhorse Group could be delivering packages for the U.S. government through an electric delivery truck, called the Workhorse, and its Horsefly eight-rotor UAS as early as 2018.


The U.S. Postal Service has octocopter drones on the brain | SiliconANGLE

Next Mail Truck May Have Rotors | Workhorse Advanced Vehicles
More than a dozen companies, including those now making military Humvees and luxury sport-utility vehicles, are vying to bring the lowly mail truck into the future.
Fifteen suppliers have been qualified in the first leg of a competition that could be worth $5 billion over several years, according to the U.S. Postal Service. The USPS wants a vehicle able to operate for 20 years, and intends to buy 180,000 vehicles over three years.
Early contenders suggest the mail service is considering everything from drones to gasoline-powered vans to battery-powered vehicles for its fleet.

Request for Information and Prequalification/Sources Sought - Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV) Acquisition Program - RFI-NGDV - Federal Business Opportunities: Opportunities
The United States Postal Service is issuing a Request for Information and Prequalification/Sources Sought for its Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV) Acquisition Program.  The purpose of this RFI is to inform prospective suppliers on the USPS's preliminary/draft specifications and plans for acquisition of NGDV fleet replacements.  The information contained in this RFI and Sources Sought announcement is considered the most current available information; however the USPS reserves the right to modify any and all provisions of the document contained within.

1. AM General LLC 408 S Byrkit Street Mishawaka, IN 46544-3012
2. AMP Holding, Inc.  100 Commerce Dr. Loveland, OH 45140-7726  [AMP Holding Inc. Announces Official Name Change to Workhorse Group Inc. Stock Symbol Changes from AMPD to WKHS | Workhorse Advanced Vehicles]   
3. Emerald Automotive 420 Brookes Dr. Hazelwood, MO 63042
4. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles US LLC 1000 Chrysler Dr. Auburn Hills, MI 48326-2766
5. Ford Motor Company 16800 Executive Plaza Dr. Regent Court Bldg. – Mail Drop 6N-1A Dearborn, MI 48126-4262
6. Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation 552 Hyatt Street Gaffney, SC 29341-2598
7. Karsan Company 885 2nd Ave FL 47 New York, NY 10017-2200
8. Mahindra North American Technical Center 1055 W Square Lake Rd. Troy, MI 48098-2523
9. Morgan Olson, LLC 1801 S. Nottawa Street Sturgis, MI 49091-8723
10. Nissan North America, Inc. 1 Nissan Way  Franklin, TN 37067-6367
11. OEM Systems, LLC 210 W Oklahoma Ave. Okarche, OK 73762
12. Oshkosh Corporation 2307 Oregon Street P.O. Box 2566 Oshkosh, WI 54903-2566
13. Utilimaster Corporation 603 Earthway Blvd. Bristol, IN 46507-9182
14. VT Hackney, Inc. 911 W 5th Street  Washington, NC 27889-4205
15. ZAP Jonway  501 4th Street  Santa Rosa, CA 95401-6308

Obama Gives USPS Ultimatum To Deliver Mail By Drones - WIT