The federal government is looking to provide Tesla with $400 million for armored vehicles.

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      A Procurement Forecast for 2025 published on the U.S. State Department’s website reveals that the agency intends to acquire a fleet of armored Tesla vehicles, with an estimated total cost of $400 million. The budget did not outline specific details regarding the number of vehicles or how they might be further adapted for use by the State Department. The forecast was updated in December during the presidential transition, according to the department’s website.

      We discovered this item in a version of the forecast made available by the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, also known as the Department of Big Bailout. Don't take our word for it; look at their mission statement:

      “Public Law 100-656, the Business Opportunity Development Reform Act of 1988, amended the Small Business Act to place heightened emphasis on acquisition planning. The law mandates that agencies compile and disclose projections of contracting opportunities that small and small disadvantaged firms might be able to fulfill.”

      But there’s more.

      “To fulfill this requirement, the Department of State Forecast of Contract Opportunities includes predictions of anticipated contracts exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold that small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, women-owned small businesses, HUBZone small businesses, and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses could potentially perform under direct contracts with the Government or through subcontracting avenues. This department-wide forecast of contract opportunities builds on individual initiatives already undertaken within the Department of State aimed at fostering competition in contracting. The forecast brings together expected procurements from various acquisition activities of the State Department.”

      Hmm, seems like DEI to me. Nonetheless, regardless of whether Tesla is classified as a “small” or “disadvantaged” enterprise, one fact is apparent: it definitely requires assistance in moving Cybertrucks. It is presumed that the government won’t allocate funds for non-essential features like Full Self-Driving, allowing it to bypass worries about Tesla’s software quirks. Still, we do have concerns about the State Department's selection of armored vehicles. Will Tesla be responsible for the armoring? Just to clarify, we mean that Tesla. Yes, also that Tesla. And that one too. Let's go ahead and showcase a video:

      According to The New York Times, the State Department may be partnering with aftermarket upfitter Armormax for this task, similar to many manufacturers that supply the government with armored vehicles.

      Additionally, the forecast included items for armored vehicles from BMW (X5/X7) and two others from unidentified manufacturers labeled simply as “SEDAN” and “NOT SEDAN.” The projected budgets for both were considerably less ($50 million for the BMW SUVs and $40 million each for the two unidentified options).

      At this pace, the Trump administration could significantly increase the U.S. government’s electric fleet beyond what voters may have anticipated. Just two months ago, President Trump’s transition team indicated that it would aim to reverse the 2023 spending package that allocated funding for the integration of EVs into the U.S. Postal Service fleet, alongside cutting other programs that promote the adoption of electric vehicles.

      However, the administration seems to be taking a different approach. Shortly after the transition team’s announcement, U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy stated that the Postal Service would persist in its mission to electrify. In the absence of new financial directives from Congress, DeJoy mentioned that their options are limited. This transition is anticipated to cost taxpayers $9.6 billion.

      The file below is a copy of the forecast retrieved around 4:45 a.m. Eastern on February 13, 2025, from this state.gov link.

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