The United States Post Office shopped out contracts for trial-run electric delivery trucks.  So far, they’ve selected five  different companies to convert trucks for the USPS to test out in Washington, D.C.  Better known as the Land of Oz. Every small EV maker in the country whose products are even remotely shaped like a truck has put in bids.  Even companies nobody’s ever really heard of are diving for the government cash.*

Here are the five big winners so far, all of whom will be converting the standard Post Office delivery truck (pictured here, with a conceptual paint job) to all-electric for the D.C. trials:

1. ZAP – these guys were first, as far as I can tell, and so I covered it at Futurecars, not knowing there were many more to come.  I even made a concept of what I figured the new USPS delivery van would look like.  No word yet on whether ZAP plans to use the still-in-stealth-mode EESTOR tech in their conversion. Update: not that they could, since this is own by ZENN. See comments below
2. Bright Automotive, who made the o-so-pretty Idea, which looks like a mashup between an undertaker’s hearse and a late-70s Pacer.
3. Quantum Technologies in Irvine, California got a contract.  These are the people who supply the drive train for Fisker Automotive, also in So Cal.
4. AC Propulsion, in San Dimas, California (home of Bill & Ted) got one.  They’re the ones Tom Hanks was all excited about when they converted a $15,000 Scion into an $85,000 all-electric Scion.  Nice upgrade, but a crap car to waste the money on.  But hey, they’re in Excellent Adventure country, so..
5. EDAG, a German firm that does, well, German things involving electric car design.  I think they also do computer stuff.  I’m sure it involves words like “ACHTUNG!”

Since the job is really a conversion, not a top-to-bottom build, I’m going to make some predictions here.  I think that the finalists will be Bright, Quantum and AC Propulsion and the final winner will likely be AC Propulsion.  Let me explain.

ZAP is generally long on promises and short on results.  They’re also getting out of the electric vehicle business and getting into supplying parts and systems to other electric vehicle manufacturers.  For that reason, I don’t expect them to do well here.  This will be the same reason that Quantum will ultimately not win the contract either.

EDAG is just, well, looney and they’re in Germany.  Easy one to write off.  Bright is a nice enough company with some good ideas, but in the end, this is a conversion job.  Only one company of the five really has a lot of experience making EV conversions.  That’s AC Propulsion.  Plus, they have Tom Hanks on their side.  How can you go wrong with Forrest Gump pimping the show?  Really.

“Liewwtenannt PostOfficeGuyuuyyy.  You just have to pick the A-C-P.  Just got to.  I will give you a choc-o-lut.”

Personally, I’m hoping for a Forest Gump II, if only to keep him from making another damn DaVinci movie with that stupid hair.

“It’s easy to decode, once you understand the matrix, Jesus-Daughter-Lady.  Here, it says:

Looketh thou upon the mirror and knoweth that thou dost need a damn haircut.

Really, it does say that.  Ask Opie there behind the camera.  He knows all, he has the Holy Script of Antioch.”

So, anyway, there you have it.  Five companies (so far, there could be more) vying for the contract to convert a bunch of USPS trucks to electric.  Now you know the story, my picks for the win, and why Tom Hanks should retire.

*Note: The USPS is a “private” company whose only affiliation with government is that nobody else is allowed to carry mail except them and they get to participate in the government employee’s union benefits packages.  Otherwise, they’re totally private and independent.  Really.

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1. The Center for Automotive Research Estimates Distribution Pattern of Electric Vehicles Through 2015

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