A new truck unveiled by the United States Postal Service has sparked a myriad of memes and jokes about its unusual design.
Since it was unveiled Thursday, the truck has been described by online uses as looking like a "modified Popemobile," a "duck," and even a "Pixar Car."
The USPS' new mail-delivery vehicle has been designed with an exaggeratedly tall glass cab and a stubbly bumper. The independent agency of the executive branch of the federal government said that the new truck is the first of many that will become its next-generation delivery fleet.
The agency said that it plans to order between 50,000 and 165,000 units from Wisconsin-based defense contractor Oshkosh. USPS said that the truck is fully custom-built to meet its needs and will be outfitted with either a gasoline or electric-powered engine.
USPS said that the delivery truck has been designed with pedestrian safety in mind. Over the last decade, pedestrian fatalities have gone up and USPS wants to do what it can to reduce those numbers.
The significantly large windshield that wraps around the front of the car is designed to give drivers a much larger view of the streets. The seats have also been placed much lower in the vehicle. The truck also has sliding side windows that eliminate "front blind spots."
USPS said that instead of relying on 360-degree cameras and advanced anti-collision tech, it wants its drivers to rely on their own eyes. Even so, the company is still planning to equip the truck with the latest driver and pedestrian safety technologies such as advanced front and rear collision avoidance systems.
To prevent people from being thrown under the vehicle, USPS has chosen to equip it with a very low lip. Even though it looks weird, the agency said that it a very "transformative" life-saving feature.
Even if the truck is "goofy looking" analysts said that USPS may be on the right track with how it has chosen to design its future delivery vehicles. Analysts said that USPS has chosen to avoid the sacrifices made by traditional automotive manufacturers and focus more on the functionality of the vehicle.
Experts said that other companies such as Amazon may learn from USPS's move and "right-size" their own vehicles for their purpose.
