The U.S. governments federal fleet of more than 645,000 vehicles will be transitioned to zero-emissions vehicles by 2035, with its light-vehicle fleet making the switch sooner, in 2027. That’s as a result of an executive order that will be signed today by President Biden, according to a White House release.
The move has long been planned but it is being made official today. The White House said in a statement that the move will reduce emissions across Federal operations and will also be a form of investment in American clean energy projects.
“The President is building on his whole-of-government effort to tackle the climate crisis in a way that creates well-paying jobs, grows industries, and makes the country more economically competitive,” the White House wrote.
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The federal government’s collection of vehicles is expected to become the largest zero-emission vehicle fleet in the nation with this order. To make that possible, it will work with American automakers, as well as battery and charging equipment manufacturers to accomplish its goal.
The Washington Post reported early this year that the federal government employs around 200,000 passenger vehicles, 47,000 vans, 847 ambulances, three limousines, and 78,500 heavy-duty trucks. The latter of which are likely to be the last holdouts as the exigencies of trucking mean that the industry is behind the electric light vehicle industry.
The transition will be a meaningful one, as the fleet is estimated to drive around 4.5 billion miles (7.2 billion km), consumes 400 million gallons (1.5 billion liters) of gasoline, and emits more than 7 billion pounds (3.1 billion kg) of greenhouse gases.
The White House says that it has already started the changeover, as the Department of the Interior, started swapping its Park Police lightweight motorcycles and dirt bikes to zero-emission vehicles this year at its Washington, D.C., New York City, and San Francisco locations. The DOI plans to reach 100 percent ZEV status by 2025.
The Department of Homeland Security, meanwhile, will begin field-testing the Ford Mustang Mach-E for use in its law enforcement fleet early next year. That department requires 30,000 vehicles.
In addition to its fleet of vehicles, the White House promises to implement further, not-necessarily automotive, strategies to pollute less.
With today’s executive order, the federal government will also seek to use 100 percent carbon pollution-free electricity by 2030, to achieve net-zero emissions from federal procurement by no later than 2050, to have a net-zero emissions building portfolio by 2045, and realize net-zero emission from overall federal operations by 2050, including a 65 percent emissions reduction by 2030.