U.S. Government Fails to Meet Electric Vehicle Purchase Targets

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. government agencies did not meet the Biden administration's targets for electric vehicle (EV) purchases, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released on Tuesday.

In the 2023 budget year, agencies acquired 25,300 gas-powered vehicles compared to 5,500 EVs and plug-in hybrids, achieving only 60% of the combined target of 9,500 across 11 agencies.

In December 2021, President Joe Biden issued an executive order aiming to end gas-powered vehicle purchases by 2035 and mandated that all light-duty federal acquisitions be electric or plug-in hybrids by the end of 2027.

The GAO reported that officials from nine of the eleven selected agencies indicated that meeting the EV targets largely depends on factors beyond their control, such as charging infrastructure and the availability of zero-emission vehicles for federal purchase.

In 2022, the General Services Administration (GSA) projected a need for over 100,000 charging ports to transition the federal fleet to zero-emission vehicles. As of November, 10,500 charging ports had been activated by federal agencies, with another 52,500 installations underway.

The GSA reported that government EV orders in 2023 have increased by 63% compared to 2022. In the first quarter of the 2024 budget year, the government ordered 4,000 EVs, representing nearly 30% of all purchased cars and trucks. GSA EV orders include Tesla Model Y and 3, Chevrolet Equinox EV, and Ford Mach-E.

Neither the GSA nor the White House immediately commented.

Biden's order applies to approximately 380,000 federal vehicles but does not cover U.S. Postal Service vehicles, an independent government entity. Last week, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy supported the plan to acquire 66,000 electric vehicles by 2028, utilizing $3 billion in Congress funding to subsidize EV charging and purchases.

Reuters also reported that President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team is advocating for significant changes to reduce support for electric vehicles, including eliminating acquisition requirements for federal agencies.