US to electrify 650,000 federal fleet vehicles
President Joe Biden issued an executive order yesterday (8 December) for the US Federal Government fleet to buy only 100% zero emission light duty vehicles from 2027. The order also says that all vehicle acquisitions by 2035 will be ‘100 percent zero-emission’.
Calling for a transformation of Federal procurement and operations to secure a transition to clean, zero-emission technologies, the executive order said: “Each agency with a fleet comprising at least 20 vehicles shall develop and annually update a zero-emission fleet strategy that shall include optimizing fleet size and composition; deploying zero-emission vehicle re-fueling infrastructure; and maximizing acquisition and deployment of zero-emission light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles where the General Services Administration (GSA) offers one or more zero-emission vehicle options for that vehicle class.”
650,000+ vehicle fleet
In 2020, the US Federal Government had a fleet of 657,506 cars and trucks, of which only 3,000 were electric.
A White House statement said: “The Federal Government will work with American vehicle, battery, and charging equipment manufacturers and installers to transform its fleet into the largest zero-emission vehicle fleet in the Nation, reaching 100 percent zero-emission vehicle acquisitions by 2035. This will accelerate the advancement of America’s industrial capacity to supply zero-emission vehicles and electric vehicle batteries and create and sustain good union jobs in manufacturing, engineering, and skilled-trades.”
The fleet initiative is part of a wider programme that will see the US cut its carbon emissions by 65% by 2030 and become carbon neutral by 2050.
Net zero electricity
In further moves, the president pledged that the Federal Government will only buy 100 percent carbon pollution-free electricity by 2030 (on a net annual basis).
“The actions and investment required to achieve these goals will protect the environment, drive innovation, spur private sector investment, improve public infrastructure, and create new economic opportunity,” said Biden.
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