Trump's Strategy to Abandon Federal EVs and Charging Stations Could Result in a $1 Billion Expense for Taxpayers | Carscoops

      Federal agencies might have to sell up to 25,000 electric vehicles (EVs) as part of President Trump's cost-saving initiatives.

      The Trump administration has mandated the shutdown of 8,000 EV charging stations managed by the General Services Administration (GSA).

      The GSA is responsible for managing around two-thirds of the federal government's fleet of 650,000 vehicles.

      If the GSA disposes of its fleet of new EVs, it will need to substitute them with gasoline-powered vehicles.

      President Donald Trump is scaling back electric vehicles in government fleets, directing the sale of thousands and the discontinuation of their charging stations at federal facilities. This initiative, presented as a cost-cutting strategy, could ironically lead to a loss of $1 billion for the administration.

      The GSA, which oversees roughly two-thirds of the government's 650,000 vehicles, currently manages approximately 8,000 EV chargers at federal buildings. These charging stations cater to both government-owned and personal EVs used by federal employees. However, according to recently leaked emails, contracts for those chargers are being terminated, and the stations will be “turned off at the breaker.”

      Disengaging from the Investment

      During the Biden administration, the GSA received $975 million to upgrade federal structures with modern and sustainable technologies, including EV charging points, as reported by The Verge. The federal government committed to purchasing only electric light-duty vehicles by 2027 through an executive order.

      The GSA will also start selling up to 25,000 EVs acquired during the Biden era. A former GSA official mentioned to Politico that these vehicles might only fetch 25% of their original value, potentially leading to a loss of around $225 million. Additionally, since these EVs need to be replaced with gasoline-powered cars, the federal government could incur another $700 million in expenses.

      Reducing Costs, Yet Spending More

      As noted by the same former GSA official, the federal government has invested about $300 million to install and activate charging stations. Taking these chargers offline could result in costs ranging from $50 million to $100 million.

      In an internal email clarifying the decision, the GSA stated it “has worked to align with the current administration and has received guidance that all GSA-owned charging stations are not mission critical. Neither Government Owned Vehicles nor Privately Owned Vehicles will be able to charge at these stations once they are decommissioned.”

      This raises a significant question: if the objective is to reduce government spending, why incur a billion-dollar loss in the process? Selling EVs at a minimal fraction of their cost, spending hundreds of millions to replace them with gas-powered vehicles, and shutting down already paid-for infrastructure does not reflect prudent fiscal management.