Trump to shut down all 8,000 EV charging ports at federal govt buildings; sell off or warehouse EV fleet

[essentialsaltes]

“As GSA has worked to align with the current administration, we have received direction that all GSA-owned charging stations are not mission-critical.”

The GSA is working on the timing of canceling current network contracts that keep the EV chargers operational. Once those contracts are canceled, the stations will be taken out of service and “turned off at the breaker,” the email reads. Other chargers will be turned off starting next week.

“Neither Government Owned Vehicles nor Privately Owned Vehicles will be able to charge at these charging stations once they’re out of service.”

The Trump/Elon Musk administration has taken the GSA’s fleet electrification webpage offline entirely. (An archived version is available here.)

Bummer for federal employees with their own personal electric cars.

 

[RocksInMyHead]

Also a waste of the money already spent on purchasing and installing the chargers, as well as purchasing the vehicles. So much for reducing government waste...

 

[Laodicean60]

Man I hate politics, I get tired of watching presidents tear down what the previous ones did. We are not going anywhere with policy.

I don't know if 8000 chargers are needed for 50,000 GSA vehicles around the country but it's still a waste, hopefully, he sells them to someone else. Kinda stupid if he doesn't.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

He can sell them to Canada and call it a subsidy.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

Wont Teslas need them?

 

[Laodicean60]

He can sell them to Canada and call it a subsidy.

Good idea seems your market could use them.

Wont Teslas need them?

Is the GSA buying Teslas?

 

[DaisyDay]

Good idea seems your market could use them.

Is the GSA buying Teslas?

Not any more.

https://www.npr.org/2025/02/13/g-s1-48571/trump-administration-order-400-million-worth-of-armored-teslas

 

[Mayzoo]

Man I hate politics, I get tired of watching presidents tear down what the previous ones did. We are not going anywhere with policy.

I don't know if 8000 chargers are needed for 50,000 GSA vehicles around the country but it's still a waste, hopefully, he sells them to someone else. Kinda stupid if he doesn't.

If he sells them, we most likely will have to refit/rebuy them for the next administration. Another waste of money.

 

[SimplyMe]

And Trump claims he is wanting to remove waste and abuse from the government, not create waste. So they'll be ending contracts and having to pay cancellation fees for many, since they will be breaking the contract (in many cases) much earlier than they were written for. You are either mothballing or selling 50,000 EVs -- and it is worth if he is just going to park them and let them collect dust -- but, either way, we'll be losing millions when we have to buy 50,000 gas cars to replace them (not to mention the "hit" on selling these newer cars that depreciated when you took them off the lot).

And that isn't including the fact, particularly after the initial costs have been paid (to install chargers and buy the EVs) that EVs are drastically cheaper to operate than gas cars -- they're cheaper over the life of the car (to include installing chargers and the cars frequently being more expensive), but to pay the upfront costs, and then get rid of them is horribly cost ineffective.

Last, there is the fact that the reason EVs are seen as the future is pollution -- and forget global warming and instead think of local pollution in our cities. Much, if not most, of the pollution generated in cities is from motor vehicles, for example, up to 95% of carbon monoxide in cities comes from vehicles. And we know, there are plenty of studies, that for people living near busy streets in cities suffer from many more health problems because of the pollution from motor vehicles. So the government using EVs, which are almost all going to be used for local driving between government buildings, helps to reduce pollution in those cities.

This is a horrible deal for the American people, it will waste millions of dollars, and seems to be solely for Trump to "repay" the major donations made to his PACs by oil company executives (who it should be noted, also receive billions in subsidies).

 

[stevil]

Also a waste of the money already spent on purchasing and installing the chargers, as well as purchasing the vehicles. So much for reducing government waste...

It seems perhaps the Oil lobbiests and donors don't want govt using electric cars.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

It seems perhaps the Oil lobbiests and donors don't want govt using electric cars.

They were probably looking forward to milking the last bit of that resource for sky high prices, Market economy that.

 

[stevil]

They were probably looking forward to milking the last bit of that resource for sky high prices, Market economy that.

The oligarchs are in control and no longer have to hide the fact, thanks to Trump's transparency. they are now empowered AND emboldened.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

The oligarchs are in control and no longer have to hide the fact, thanks to Trump's transparency. they are now empowered AND emboldened.

It's just a matter of the "order of operations." Once the oil reserves are completely depleted, they'll find a way to monopolize electricity for EVs in the same way.

 

[Nithavela]

Purely ideologically driven and wasteful. Nothing surprising.

 

[civilwarbuff]

Purely ideologically driven and wasteful. Nothing surprising.

Yep I agree. These should never have been built/purchased.....but the left loves its Greenies.....

 

[Pommer]

“As GSA has worked to align with the current administration, we have received direction that all GSA-owned charging stations are not mission-critical.”

The GSA is working on the timing of canceling current network contracts that keep the EV chargers operational. Once those contracts are canceled, the stations will be taken out of service and “turned off at the breaker,” the email reads. Other chargers will be turned off starting next week.

“Neither Government Owned Vehicles nor Privately Owned Vehicles will be able to charge at these charging stations once they’re out of service.”

The Trump/Elon Musk administration has taken the GSA’s fleet electrification webpage offline entirely. (An archived version is available here.)

Bummer for federal employees with their own personal electric cars.

Wow, this’ll save bundles of $$$!

 

[eclipsenow]

Man I hate politics, I get tired of watching presidents tear down what the previous ones did. We are not going anywhere with policy.

I don't know if 8000 chargers are needed for 50,000 GSA vehicles around the country but it's still a waste, hopefully, he sells them to someone else. Kinda stupid if he doesn't.

Are there only 50,000 GSA vehicles? Couldn't they also sell to private citizens if an app algorithm allowed? (The app would prioritise government vehicles but if no one is booked in for a while - they could make money selling to citizens?)

 

[iluvatar5150]

Yep I agree. These should never have been built/purchased.....but the left loves its Greenies.....

Commuting and shorter-range fleet vehicles are the ideal use case for EV's. Switching away from fossil fuels to something you can pull from the sky is the best way to become "energy independent."

You guys have fetishized fossil fuels so much you can't see how you're undercutting your own stated goals and shooting yourselves in the foot (feet?).

 

[stevil]

Commuting and shorter-range fleet vehicles are the ideal use case for EV's. Switching away from fossil fuels is the best way to become "energy independent."

You guys have fetishized fossil fuels so much you can't see how you're undercutting your own stated goals and shooting yourselves in the foot (feet?).

Well, as far as I can tell there are a few reasons for all this.
1. The Republican Party has decided to hang its hat on this issue, (a significant point of difference from their competitor The Democratic Party)
2. Many conservatives are afraid of change, of progress, want things to stay the same and are irritated with change being forced on them.
3. The Republican Party have decided to take a stance that it isn't worth the effort to try and beat global warming. Either they don't believe that global warming is a thing, or they feel, "why should I take the hit on trying to beat Global Warming when so many countries e.g. Russia, China, India don't seem to be doing their part?
4. Oil companies and lobbyists are donating significant funds to the Republican party and just want the party to resist any efforts to reduce oil and gas usage.
5. Oil companies and lobbyists as well as Republican/conservative think tanks are putting significant effort into producing propaganda against wind turbines and EV cars etc and this mis-information is constantly doing the rounds in right wing circles.

 

[iluvatar5150]

Well, as far as I can tell there are a few reasons for all this.
1. The Republican Party has decided to hang its hat on this issue, (a significant point of difference from their competitor The Democratic Party)
2. Many conservatives are afraid of change, of progress, want things to stay the same and are irritated with change being forced on them.
3. The Republican Party have decided to take a stance that it isn't worth the effort to try and beat global warming. Either they don't believe that global warming is a thing, or they feel, "why should I take the hit on trying to beat Global Warming when so many countries e.g. Russia, China, India don't seem to be doing their part?
4. Oil companies and lobbyists are donating significant funds to the Republican party and just want the party to resist any efforts to reduce oil and gas usage.
5. Oil companies and lobbyists as well as Republican/conservative think tanks are putting significant effort into producing propaganda against wind turbines and EV cars etc and this mis-information is constantly doing the rounds in right wing circles.

None of those 5 hypotheses can explain the logic for ripping out existing chargers and selling off new fleet vehicles. It’s pure ego and delusion.