U.S. Postal chief defends Oshkosh delivery contract decision

© Reuters/CARLO ALLEGRIFILE PHOTO: A U.S. Postal Service (USPS) logo is pictured on a mail box

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy defended the decision to award a contract to Oshkosh Corp that could be worth $6 billion to build up to 165,000 next-generation delivery vehicles instead of choosing Workhorse Group Inc to build an all-electric fleet.

DeJoy said in a Reuters interview Tuesday he was briefed after the decision had been made. "(USPS) thoroughly vetted and evaluated the decision," DeJoy told Reuters in an interview, adding he was "pretty confident" in the decision. Oshkosh plans to build a mix of EVs and gasoline-powered vehicles.

USPS said Tuesday "with the right level of congressional support, we can commit... (to) a fully electric fleet by 2035."

(Reporting by David Shepardson)