The U.S. Government Needs Over 100,000 Chargers to Support an EV Fleet: Report

After Congress approved U.S. President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan to implement 500,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in the U.S. last year, a watchdog has noted that the country may require more than double that figure for federal use.

The U.S. government may need over 100,000 charging stations if it hopes to support mainstream EV use across operations, according to a government watchdog in a statement to a congressional hearing on Tuesday (via Reuters).

The news comes after Biden signed an order saying the U.S. government would only buy EVs by 2035 in December, and after the U.S. unveiled a plan to build four fast-charging stations every 50 miles across the country.

Only 1,777 of the U.S. government’s 657,000, or under 0.3 percent, were EVs, with that number set to grow significantly in the next decade.

As of March 10, the General Services Administration (GSA) said the federal government has ordered another 1,854 zero-emission vehicles since the last report.

The U.S. government typically purchases around 50,000 vehicles per year, with Biden’s plan set to make all light-duty vehicles “emission-free” by 2027.

Federal agencies currently own around 1,100 charging stations, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). That’s far short of what’s required for if and when a complete federal EV fleet becomes the norm.

Buying in volume also has allowed the federal government to save money. In a statement, the GAO said that the “GSA negotiated a discounted price for the Chevrolet Bolt in fiscal year 2021 – at almost $10,000 below its market retail price.”