The Trump administration is ordering the closure of some 8,000 charging stations on the grounds of federal buildings as early as next week. The charging stations are used for government-owned and employee electric vehicles.
The GSA (General Services Administration) is responsible for managing government buildings. A source within the organization told The Verge about the notification received from authorities:
“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 a timetable to cancel current network contracts that keep vehicle chargers operational. Once those contracts are canceled, the charging stations will be taken out of service and “turned off at the breaker,” the email states.
Other chargers will be decommissioned starting next week. Neither government-owned nor privately-owned vehicles will be able to charge at those stations once they’re out of service.
The U.S. government has also removed the GSA's web page on the electrification of the federal fleet.
It’s also understood that electric vehicles purchased for government use under Joe Biden's administration are going to be taken off the road. It’s unclear whether they will simply be set aside or sold.
Since taking office, the new US administration has backtracked on just about every electric vehicle-friendly measure put forward by the previous administration. We shouldn't be surprised by the latest developments.