Cummins Inc. is delivering eight battery-electric vehicles to the United States Postal Service fleet that are aimed at eliminaing vehicle emissions and reducing fuel and maintenance costs, the powertrain provider announced.

The pilot program which the delivery is based on was made possible by a grant from the California Air Resources Board to the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District and administered by CALSTART, according to Cummins. The program will place the zero-emission vehicles in Fresno and Stockton, Calif.

Cummins will also provide operator training, vehicle support, and data collection to support the program.

The eight Cummins-powered vans will be in service by March 31. The vans have an electric range of up to 85 miles with a full load on urban drive cycles typical of USPS collection vehicles. The direct-drive architecture provides improved performance over the gasoline-powered version in critical areas of power and efficiency.

The vans use the same charging system as passenger electric vehicles and can reach a full charge in about eight hours.

In 2017, Cummins announced its commitment to invest $500 million in electrification across many applications, markets, and regions over a three-year period.

In 2018, the company announced partnerships and collaborations with on- and off-highway OEMs who are working on electrification solutions in products ranging from bus to medium-duty trucks, light commercial vehicles, excavators, and drayage trucks.