President Joe Biden took made another half step towards carbon neutrality on Wednesday, signing an executive order saying that the federal vehicle fleet will acquire only zero-emissions vehicles by 2035. It also adds zero-emissions light-duty vehicles, for a total of about 600,000 replaced in the middle of the next decade, Reuters reports. It's part of his plan for at least the government to eliminate C02 emissions by 2050.
"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," the fact sheet on the executive order said.
According to the General Services Administration, the government spent $4.4 billion on federal vehicle costs in 2019, drove 4.5 miles, and consumed 375 million gallons of fuel. Those are crazy numbers to be sure, but that's what happens when you own more than a half-million vehicles. The government plans to spend $650 billion to clean up its act over the next three decades.
"As the single largest landowner, energy consumer and employer in the nation, the federal government can catalyze private-sector investment and expand the economy and American industry by transforming how we build, buy and manage electricity, vehicles, buildings and other operations to be clean and sustainable,'' the executive order said.
Biden's been busy with the auto industry as of late, which makes sense as the new infrastructure deal is soon to be passed, though there are a few problems. He stopped in Detroit to talk about clean energy and got to test out the Watts To Freedom mode in the new Hummer EV at General Motors. He wants to take a spin in the forthcoming electric Corvette too.
He's also been taking blows on Twitter recently (we're guessing he's not on Twitter) from CEO Elon Musk. Musk wants to kill the tax credit because Biden wants to give it to union-made EVs only. And we're not completely against him on that.
The big deal here is the money that will be spent, which will ease some of the teething pains in the industry and its tentacles and hopefully the general supply chain. Unfortunately we won't know if it was enough for a few decades.