President Joe Biden has just announced that he will replace the entire U.S. federal fleet with electric vehicles manufactured in the United States.
The U.S. Federal Navy consists of more than 645,000 vehicles, according to the latest Federal Fleet Report. This includes 245,000 civilian vehicles, 173,000 military vehicles and 225,000 mail vehicles.
Biden talked a lot about American-made electric vehicles during the campaign, so an announcement about this is not unexpected, but the promises of the campaign do not always mean a real action.
We do not have a timeline for replacement, but a commitment so far. No details of this plan have been released yet.
Some federal vehicles may avoid replacement in the short term – it will be a significant cost to take down certain vehicles early, and some specialized vehicles will no doubt require more development before they are ready to electrify. But the mass use of electric vehicles should in the long run entail significant cost savings in fuel and maintenance for the government, especially in vehicles that are used a lot.
American post office vehicles in particular are ripe for replacement, with the Gumman LLV, which has been used by the post office since the late 1980s, showing its age. These vehicles do short, consistent daily routes with lots of start and stop, which is an ideal application for electric vehicles. The US government has been bidding for the LLV for several years, but has pushed back the decision several times – probably in an attempt to get a more serious bid.
Workhorse, a company that plans to offer electric delivery trucks, was bidding for the contract, but the bidding process stalled. Workhorse inventory (WKHS) has risen by about 10% since Biden’s announcement today.
Biden’s Transport Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, also indicated that he wanted to promote electric vehicles, and stated that he wanted to place ‘millions’ of electric cars on American roads.
In Biden’s first few days as president, he has already made several positive environmental movements. He rejoined the Paris Agreement and canceled the Kestone XL pipeline permit on his first day as promised, appointing a climate team of policy experts, including John Kerry, who had already begun work on restoring American reputation. abroad. This EV announcement is another big step, though so far it’s just an announcement.
Electrek’s Take
Although today’s news did not give details, the words now carry the weight of a president, rather than a presidential candidate. Implementation can still lag behind what we want to see, but at least the right thing is being thought of now.
We would like to see more details on this, including timelines for different departments, what brands / models the government is considering, and how immune these movements can be to interfering with the unfortunate possibility of a future government that may be just as outwardly hostile to the environment. as the last one was. In short – the sooner the better. If we can do that within the next four years, that’s going to be great.
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