President Joe Biden was quick to act with a recent statement the US government fleet would be replaced with all-electric vehicles.
This decisive action is expected to have a positive impact in a few ways, but could there be some drawbacks to this movement toward alternative fuel vehicles for the government?
A Large Order Will be Placed
Understandably, there are several government vehicles that are replaced every year. At a specified point in mileage and use, vehicles are sold at auction to the public and replaced by new vehicles. Even though it could be easy enough to replace the outgoing models with all-electric vehicles, it seems the president wants to make swift and decisive changes. The government currently owns and operates nearly 650,000 vehicles around the country.
The Shift Could be Sweeping
If all 650,000 government vehicles are replaced with all-electric models during the next four years, additional changes will need to take place. Currently, the infrastructure for EV models isn’t vast enough to support some of the distance driving required. This means we will need more than just the vehicles to handle this change but also more electric charging stations. This could make a huge difference in the use of EV models around the country.
Many Jobs Are Expected to Result from This Change
The information given to the president regarding the jobs that will be created to fulfill this order, the expectation is around one million new jobs. These US government vehicles that will be all-electric are going to be built in America as part of a new “Buy American” executive order. To fulfill this change, the estimated cost by Reuters.com is nearly $20 billion which will go into the auto industry to the companies that supply these new vehicles.
The All-Electric Fleet Could be Challenging
While the infrastructure needs of the country, especially the government vehicles that will be EV models, is greater than what we currently have, we still have another issue. Electric vehicles are limited by the range of the batteries and the length of time it takes to charge these vehicles. For agencies that need to drive many miles every day, this could pose a problem when all-electric vehicles are being used.
Another Challenge by this Administration
President Biden is not only working to make the government more environmentally friendly with all-electric vehicles, but he is also challenging the “American Made” label of some of the vehicles we currently see. Currently, as long as fifty percent of the components of a vehicle are made in the US, that model can be considered to be made in America. Biden is looking to challenge this, increase the percentage, and measure the value of these new components by the number of new American jobs that require them to be made.
Biden is Certainly Decisive
Whether you agree with the actions of the new president or not, one thing is for sure; he’s making decisions that support the platform that got him elected. We will have to see how this all-electric vehicle initiative works out and revisit this topic once more time has passed and automakers begin to deliver the US Government EV Fleet that will be part of our future.
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