Appearances can be deceiving, as the United States Postal Service is proving with its new line of delivery trucks.
While residents around the country might be accustomed to seeing the agency's box-like vehicles roaming around while hunting down addresses, there are some new wagons in town — and they look kind of weird.
The all-electric vans have a bill-like front, giving them an unusual duck-like appearance that has earned various imaginative descriptions. But despite the odd shape, delivery drivers are overwhelmingly positive about their new rides.
"It is the goofiest thing in the world when you first look at it," Douglas Lape, special assistant to the president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, told The New York Times. "But I will tell you, it grows on you."
Indeed, the old delivery trucks were notable for breaking down regularly, while the cargo area was too small, and they were prone to becoming ovens in the sun.
Improvements have been made nearly across the board in the new machines, and they come with additional benefits.
The fact they do not run on gas makes for cleaner communities, with the electric trucks producing no tailpipe emissions while postal workers are on the job. That means the trucks don't negatively impact air quality with noxious fumes that can exacerbate respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses.
Meanwhile, according to the Times, the vans can travel 70 miles on a single charge, which is more than enough for the average postal route.
While USPS had to shell out a pretty penny for the order of new trucks, it will soon benefit from reduced refueling costs, as electric vans are much cheaper to recharge than it is to refill a tank with gas. That's not to mention a lower cost of maintenance for the fleet since these types of vehicles have fewer moving parts.
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Furthermore, the vans are also quiet, meaning that residents will not be bothered by engine noise from any trucks delivering mail in the early morning hours.
But postal workers aren't the only folks who can access the many benefits of electric vehicles. Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, motorists can get up to $7,500 off the purchase price of an electric vehicle to experience the joys of gas-less driving — and thanks to the variety of models on offer, you can avoid any machine that looks like waterfowl.
"I know a lot of people say it looks funny," letter carrier Richard Burton told the Times. "It looks like a duck or a platypus. It does. But I tell them it gets the job done. It works for me."
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