The government’s ambitious transition to zero-emissions vehicles
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The federal government is moving quickly toward widespread adoption of zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs).
Last year, the White House issued an executive order that lays out its plan to electrify new government fleets, with major milestones as early as 2027.
Why you should know: The federal government is the largest energy consumer in the U.S. and electrifying its fleets will go a long way toward meeting sustainability targets.
But the transition to ZEVs will present a variety of complex challenges at facilities from military bases to smaller offices that operate at least 20 vehicles.
The transition will require a vast network of charging stations, power supply equipment and resiliency technology—infrastructure that’s hard to design and deploy quickly.
From the source:
- “The executive order created what will be a significant new demand on the grid,” says Tristan Bannon, Leidos Executive Director for Renewable Energy and Climate Change. “Electrifying government fleets will require intelligent, software-driven charging infrastructure with built-in power management, as well as a planned, modern infrastructure to acquire power, convert it to a usable format, distribute it efficiently and balance the transition from on-demand fossil fuels to intermittent resources like wind and solar.”
Bannon said cybersecurity and environmental factors are among many that should be considered for electrifying and future-proofing a fleet of vehicles.
- “In some cases, you’re talking about converting thousands of vehicles to ZEVs, balancing multi-megawatts of new demand on a power grid at times and places it may not be able to support, and navigating mission complexities like emergency preparedness, cyber security and hazardous environments,” he said. “It’s a multi-dimensional problem that requires data-driven strategies and smart engineering solutions.”
The latest: Last month, Leidos delivered a comprehensive strategic plan to integrate ZEV charging infrastructure at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site, a large scale nuclear cleanup project that operates more than a thousand lightweight vehicles.
- “As a large, rural installation with a sensitive mission, Hanford serves as an important electrification blueprint for other federal installations and fleet managers to follow,” says Eric Freeman, Leidos Sr. Vice President and Operations Manager for Integrated Missions.
Looking ahead: Leidos plans to partner with other companies to help the U.S. government and others meet standards laid out in the executive order.
- “At Leidos, we don’t manufacture EVs or chargers,” Bannon said, “but what we can do really well is integrate these technologies from industry leaders into complex mission environments where the ZEV transition is more involved than just buying a few chargers and deploying them. We offer expertise in the speed, security and scale needed to minimize friction and execute the mission.”
Please contact the Leidos media relations team for more information.
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