Next Mail Truck * USA: May have rotors

* DC - U.S.A. Postal Service getting pitches from makers of drones, electric vehicles and Humvees

-- 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.A. 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... The agency has received a “significant response” to its January request for bids, and is open to considering a variety of alternatives for its next generation delivery vehicles, said USPS spokeswoman Sarah Ninivaggi... Current candidates include global auto makers Ford Motor Co., Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, Nissan Motor Co., Indian tractor and SUV maker Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., Humvee maker AM General LLC, Daimler AG’s heavy-duty truck unit and Wisconsin defense contractor Oshkosh Corp. ... The first round is one of many to come. Ms. Ninivaggi said a request for prototypes likely would be issued within the next 30 days. Only companies that have been prequalified can respond. The USPS intends to select several companies to supply prototypes...
(PHOTO: JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES - The Postal Service is looking to replace its aging mail delivery vehicles because current trucks are expensive to maintain, uncomfortable and becoming too small to handle package delivery growth from large e-commerce vendors)   --  Washington,DC, USA - The WSJ, by ANNE STEELE - April 15, 2015