After Donald Trump’s departure from the White House, his successor Joe Biden is focusing on climate protection. By decree, the U.S. has returned to the Paris climate protection agreement. And under the slogan “Buy American,” the government is now beginning a major electric car campaign.
According to a report by the General Service Administration, the U.S. government’s vehicle fleet includes about 645,000 vehicles. Among them are about 245,000 civilian vehicles.
They are used by the Department of Justice, Department of the Interior and Department of Homeland Security, among others. In addition, there are around 173,000 military vehicles and 225,000 postal vehicles.
Together with other planned modernization measures in the infrastructural area, the project under the slogan “Buy American” represents one of the most extensive investments and procurement measures since the Second World War.
According to the Reuters news agency, the electrification of the vehicle fleet alone would swallow up around 20 billion US dollars. Added to this are extensive investments in the area of research and development.
Climate protection and economic recovery
Joe Biden’s announcement to increasingly rely on electric cars in the future is not a pure climate protection decision. In addition to clean and sustainable energy, it is also about one thing: jobs.
Beyond the electrification of the government fleet, Biden wants to create more than one million new jobs in the automotive industry. He said the main focus here is on promoting electric mobility and developing next-generation vehicles.
In addition to the shift to electric cars, Biden announced further investments in biotechnology, battery technology and artificial intelligence. Binding contracts or a timetable for the ambitious project do not yet exist.
New mega deal for Tesla?
From innovative start-up to industry leader: Tesla has developed rapidly in recent years. CEO Elon Musk is also pushing ahead with the expansion of his Gigafactorys in Europe. However, the individual vehicle components are primarily produced in the USA.
The switch to electric vehicles would be particularly suitable for the aging fleet of the state postal authority. A switch also makes sense from a technical perspective. The vehicles usually cover fixed, short distances and have to make frequent stops.
With its Cybertruck, Tesla also has a model that seems virtually predestined for these tasks. The suspicion is that the California-based company in particular could benefit. But the project is tied to a number of conditions.
“Buy Amercian”
Biden’s announcements came during a high-profile event at which he signed the “Buy American” executive order. The decree puts the onus on U.S. government agencies to rely more on goods produced in the United States.
Although the electrification of the government fleet is not part of the decree, it is directly related. However, the aim of the long-term measures is primarily to expand this infrastructure.
