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Summary
Last week, the Trump administration made the controversial decision to cease operations of electric vehicle (EV) chargers managed by the General Services Administration (GSA). This abrupt move means that thousands of charging ports, which were installed at a cost of $300 million during the Biden administration, will be decommissioned at an estimated cost to taxpayers of $50 to $100 million. Additionally, the administration is considering selling off 25,000 EVs already purchased, which could result in significant financial losses due to depreciation and the need to buy replacement gas-powered vehicles. The cumulative financial impact of these decisions could reach up to $1.325 billion, effectively undermining previous efforts to modernize the federal government’s transportation fleet and potentially wasting taxpayer money.
Highlights
- ⚡ Ceasing EV Charger Operations: The Trump administration has ordered the GSA to remove thousands of EV chargers from federal properties.
- 💰 High Decommissioning Costs: Estimates suggest that decommissioning the charging stations could cost taxpayers between $50 million and $100 million.
- 🚗 Dumping EVs: The administration plans to sell off 25,000 EVs, potentially flooding the market and causing significant depreciation losses.
- 📉 Significant Financial Losses: Selling the EVs early could result in a loss of $225 million, alongside additional costs for new gas-powered vehicles.
- 🏢 Impact on Federal Fleet: The decision risks wasting $1.325 billion in taxpayer money, reversing progress made in modernizing the government’s vehicle fleet.
- 🔌 Need for EV Chargers: Many decommissioned chargers are located at secure sites like national labs and military bases, where they are necessary.
- 🏦 Cost Savings from EVs: Transitioning to EVs was projected to save the federal government $6 billion in total ownership costs.
Last week, the Trump administration announced that it would be ceasing operations of EV chargers deployed by the General Services Administration. The GSA, which manages federal properties and facilities (including around two-thirds of the federal government’s fleet of 650,000 vehicles) was told to pull the plug on all of its EV chargers—literally—and remove thousands of charging ports from hundreds of locations. Federal data suggests this could be anywhere between 2,200 and 8,000 charger ports operated by GSA at more than 650 locations.
Read the full post at Inside EVs.
