US Government Needs 100.000 Charging Stations For Government Electric Cars

The US government may need more than 100,000 charging stations. (photo: doc. pixabay)

JAKARTA - The US government may need more than 100.000 charging stations to support the widespread use of electric vehicles. This was confirmed by the government watchdog at a session of the US congress on Tuesday, March 5.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in testimony that as of March, federal agencies had about 1.100 charging stations. US President Joe Biden signed an executive order in December directing the US government to end purchases of gas-powered vehicles by 2035.

The House Oversight and Reform Committee is holding a hearing on the U.S. Postal Service's (USPS) plans to buy mostly gas-powered next-generation delivery vehicles. The USPS is not covered by Biden's executive order.

Less than 0.3% of the 657.000 government vehicles will be electric in 2020, or 1.777. In 2020, the government spent USD 4.2 billion (IDR 60.2 trillion) on vehicle costs, including USD 730 million (IDR 10.4 trillion) on fuel.

The General Services Administration (GSA) on Tuesday also said that as of March 10, federal agencies had ordered an additional 1,854 zero-emissions vehicles since the previous report.

GAO notes that GSA has been able to negotiate lower purchase prices for some EV models, saying that "GSA negotiated a discounted price for the Chevrolet Bolt in fiscal 2021 - nearly $10.000 below its market retail price."

The US government typically buys about 50,000 vehicles each year. Biden's executive order says that light vehicles acquired by the government will be what the White House calls "emissions-free" by 2027.

The definition of "emission-free" includes a plug-in hybrid EV that also has a gasoline-powered engine.

Congress approved an infrastructure law last year that provided $7.5 billion to build a nationwide network of 500.000 EV chargers.

The Biden administration also passed a separate law last year to provide the USPS and the federal government with $9 billion to buy EVs and charging stations.

Biden has rejected calls to support California's plans to end sales of new light gas-powered vehicles by 2035.