In episode 9, listeners take a ride into the future of American transportation. Host Rob Trubia navigates a conversation highlighting the transition of the vast government fleet of over 600,000 vehicles to zero emissions.
Want to know more?
Looking for more information about how GSA is accelerating the transformation of the federal fleet to zero emissions? The resources below can help.
"GSA Does That!?" is the U.S. General Services Administration's first agency-wide podcast, offering listeners an inside look into how GSA and its partners benefit the American people. Hosted by Rob Trubia, the podcast features interviews with GSA leaders, experts, partners, and customers, covering topics such as federal real estate, acquisitions, and technology. The title reflects many's surprise at the scope of GSA's impact. At the same time, the artwork pays homage to President Harry S. Truman, who established GSA in 1949 to improve government efficiency and save taxpayer money. Whether you're a policy wonk or just curious about government operations, you can join the listener community.
For more information about the show visit, gsa.gov/podcast.
In episode 9, listeners take a ride into the future of American transportation. Host Rob Trubia navigates a conversation highlighting the transition of the vast government fleet of over 600,000 vehicles to zero emissions.
Want to know more?
Looking for more information about how GSA is accelerating the transformation of the federal fleet to zero emissions? The resources below can help.
"GSA Does That!?" is the U.S. General Services Administration's first agency-wide podcast, offering listeners an inside look into how GSA and its partners benefit the American people. Hosted by Rob Trubia, the podcast features interviews with GSA leaders, experts, partners, and customers, covering topics such as federal real estate, acquisitions, and technology. The title reflects many's surprise at the scope of GSA's impact. At the same time, the artwork pays homage to President Harry S. Truman, who established GSA in 1949 to improve government efficiency and save taxpayer money. Whether you're a policy wonk or just curious about government operations, you can join the listener community.
For more information about the show visit, gsa.gov/podcast.
GSA Does That!? - Episode 9 - The State of Charge
Rob Trubia
The challenge? To transition a fleet of over 600,000 vehicles to zero emissions. Learn just how GSA is tackling this monumental task head on in this episode of GSA Does That!? You're listening to the podcast that uncovers the stories behind the federal agency delivering effective and efficient government. I'm your host, Rob Trubia. And today we're talking about one of the most significant initiatives in U.S. transportation history.
And GSA is leading the charge. So buckle up. It's time to unpack the massive undertaking of transitioning the fleet to zero emissions. Our first guest today is Mark Dowd Director of zero emission v ehicle fleets at the Council on Environmental Quality, a renowned industry expert. Mark has worked to reshape urban mobility nationwide and offers invaluable insights as a consultant on the future of ground transportation.
We're also pleased to be joined by Crystal Philcox, the Assistant Commissioner for Travel Transportation and Logistics at GSA's Federal Acquisition Service. Crystal is at the forefront of GSA's ambitious goal to transition its fleet to all zero emission vehicles. Her task make sure the transition is smooth, efficient and aligned with the best interests of each agency's mission. We're delighted to welcome her to the podcast.
Hey, it's bound to be an electrifying discussion to our listeners out there, whether you're on your morning commute or wrapping up your day. Thanks for tuning in. Remember to subscribe and check us out online at GSA.gov/podcast. Okay, let's get the conversation started. Thank you for taking the time to be with us today. Mark your title is Director Zero Emission Vehicle Fleets White House Council on Environmental Quality.
What's a good day in that role?
Mark Dowd
Thanks, Rob. Thanks for having me. I appreciate it. A good day in the role is the joy of working with such a fabulous team. And that's you know, I've had a number of roles in government working during the Obama administration, working for Governor Cuomo. And I've never worked out a team as much fun to work on as this team.
The sustainability team is made up of a number of different groups. Zero Emission Vehicles is the group that I work with, but there's also a whole group that works on reducing emissions from federal buildings. Another group that works on purchasing carbon free electricity for the federal government and another group that works on decarbonizing the supply chain. And each one of those teams is comprised of a like a wonderful group, people who are just fun to work.
And I don't think I've had a job like that before, and it's by far the best job I've had in my my entire career.
Rob Trubia
Do you think that camaraderie and that joy comes from the sense of mission?
Mark Dowd
Absolutely. 100%. And and it's just fun to watch the other teams get wins, right and then they celebrate the wins that we get to. And then we then we try to support each other. And we also have a really strong management team and working and supporting each other through that process. So yeah, I think it's been part of our history as we're trying to make it and also just having a great group of people who are a you know, high caliber and at the same time supportive of each other.
Rob Trubia
And your your piece is zero emission vehicles. What's the big goal for that entire group?
Mark Dowd
The big goal is is based on the president issued an executive order in December 21 that set out the federal sustainability plan in a way that it's never been done by and set mandates and goals that are, you know, going to be hard to achieve, but provided us with a very clear goal, very clear mandate, very clear ways to get there.
So the KPIs in order to get there are very clear. For example, for us in 2027 has to be 100% acquisition of zero emission vehicles by by the federal agencies. And so we know what we have to do. We know what we have to do to get there. That makes it, in my mind, clear. We have a mandate from the president and a very clear pathway on how to get there.
Rob Trubia
How does your office interface with GSA? What's that look like?
Mark Dowd
Federal agency's fall into different categories. Those that we have to encourage to do and those that enable us to do. GSA is a critical partner in converting the federal fleet into ZEVs because they're one of those enabling agencies that we work with. The federal agencies are required by law to procure own vehicles, as I'm sure Crystal went through, through GSA.
While filter agencies are not required to lease the vehicles exclusively from GSA. I think it's a it's an indication of what a good job the GSA does that a vast majority of those agencies lease the vehicles from GSA. So it's important to identify one additional enabling agency that works with the White House with CEQ to effectuate the president's executive order.
And that's the Department of Energy. CEQ working with GSA Department of Energy work with the other agency to help provide them with technical policies or throughout the year. The agency also receive a significant amount of technical support and assistance from GSA and DOE and we are addressing some of those challenges related to charging infrastructure necessary to charge those vehicles.
I think that's an important part, is that that not only do they supply the vehicles and the charging infrastructure to the agencies, but they also work with them on a technical basis to overcome, you know, it. Installing charging infrastructure is very challenging and it for a lot of agency’s it’s a first impression issue and GSA and DOE work very closely with them to make sure that they substantively and technology understand with it.
Rob Trubia
That's helpful to understand, MarK. You talked a little bit about leading by example. Is that primarily what makes this the right time for the government to transition to electric vehicles? Are you optimistic that the suppliers can meet the demand?
Mark Dowd
I am. I think that that for all of us in this space, it is walk two steps, walk one backwards, walk two steps, one backwards. I think there are two very compelling reasons that now is the time to transition. The first is the daily examples of extreme heat that we've suffered even just in this past couple of months here in D.C. today, the fires, extreme rain events and increased intensity of hurricanes.
Mark Dowd
So those types of events highlight the need for transportation to decarbonize. Because transportation is a large contributor to climate change, converting the largest fleet in the world to ZEVs is a good first step for us, lead by example. The second reason is that is that President Biden's approach is encouraging the automobile industry to like and buy cars and trucks being offered to the public.
We've seen the uptake of electric vehicles significantly increase over the past year. It makes a lot of sense for the federal government to transition its fleet the same way the public is transitioning electric vehicle.
Rob Trubia
With that said, what are your goals? What's the timeline for a zero emission government fleet?
Mark Dowd
Just take a minute to, I think, zoom out. You know, I kind of gave you the close to the ground. If you zoom out, it's really important to contextualize the work that we're doing on sustainability, because there is John Podesta office is working on implementation of IRA and [INAUDIBLE] working on climate policy. And when you take a look at the president's leadership and these historic investments, electric vehicle sales have tripled and the number of publicly available charging ports as a result of the work that the joint office is doing and the states it grown over 40% since he took office.
That's an astounding number. If you zoom out and take a look that there are now more than 3 million EVs on the road and over 135,000 public chargers across the country. And I think that that provides context to the investments that are being made, the changes that are happening. And the important piece that we're kind of learning, we're all learning on the job, the OEMs, the people installing charging infrastructure and the federal government.
Rob Trubia
You talked about charging stations. It's a big goal to create enough charging stations across the agencies to have what you need for this transition. What's the biggest challenge with that? Is it how's it going? Can you give us a little update on how that's going?
Mark Dowd
Yeah, I took a step back when you asked the question. I wanted to write a little bit of the answer to, you know, the timeline for the transition, the milestones, just to give context, is that the charging structure question then kind of tails out to that. You know, there's a lot of goals people make. There's a very hard mandate that the president has made required federal agencies to buy 100% light duty vehicles by 2027 and medium heavy duty vehicles by 2035.
And that acquisition date of 2027 is not far away, and that's a 100% acquisition. We work with the agencies through a strategic planning process. We don't just tell them what to do. We actually work with them on a regular basis. I'm trying to get it done and the strategic planning process helps them plan for the yearly ramp, of ZEVS and ZEV charging infrastructure acquisitions that need to be made on a fiscal year by fiscal year basis as it moves up that ramp in order to meet the president's 27 and 2035 goals.
And just to give you like that, that sounds nice, but to give you a hard numbers. Last year, despite severe supply chain limitations, not on U.S. Postal Service, federal agencies acquired over 3500 zevs, amounting to approximately 12% of the total light duty acquisitions in fiscal year 22. That is a significant jump from the 2% of ZEV light duty acquisitions that we saw in fiscal year 21.
The Federal Government's on a fiscal year that runs from October 1st to September 30th. We have another month left before we release our numbers for fiscal year 23 But we have already well exceeded last year's numbers. I think that's both from a charging infrastructure perspective and a ZEV perspective. I think that that's great news. And it shows that that while this takes time, it's getting traction within the agency In addition to ZEVs the agencies are leaning in on the charging port installations and that is you know a both a technical issue and a civil engineering issue.
Right. There's a lot that packed in there as of last quarter, non Postal agency’s reported over 10,000 EV charging ports in various stages of progress, which close to nine hundred ports are already completed this year, 23 alone. Again, we've got to ramp up and the that it's built on acquisitions of ZEVs and the charge infrastructure has to follow to support that because you can't have as we all know intuitively, you can't you know you can't have an electric vehicle.
If you can’t plug it in. So those charging infrastructure is well underway. And I know that my team, there’s five of us, we work almost 90% of our time on the charge infrastructure piece because not just us, I think private sector, the states, cities are all struggling with this issue. And how do you get it in quick and how do you do it right?
Rob Trubia
Well, it sounds like making absolutely huge strides. You've got to be encouraged the way things are going.
Mark Dowd
I am. I think I'd be remiss saying that without the help of GSA, because, A, they're the largest landlord in world, I think. Right. To be able to get their buildings converted with charge infrastructure and in a thoughtful and smart way is really an important part of this of this cornerstone that we're trying to build.
Rob Trubia
It sounds like the charging is the biggest it's the biggest challenge to overcome.
Mark Dowd
It is. When I first started this job, a good friend said to me, installing EVSA or charging infrastructure has two good days, the day you start and the day you end.
Rob Trubia
Given your role, Mark, in electrifying the whole federal fleet plus your best prior experience in the auto industry. What do you think the future of ground transportation really looks like?
Mark Dowd
You know, the future state is hard to predict from my perspective. If you go back to 2015 when I worked at U.S. DOT, the future state was automated. And so it's hard to predict. I do know where the need is, and the need is to decarbonize our transportation system and to be part of a team that's trying to work on that and doing it that that's extremely helpful.
There's an important part of that. You know, largest fleet in the world sounds impressive, right? And then if you break that down, you can see who are critical partners are within the agencies that GSA, DOE and CEQ are working with. A full third of the non-tactical fleet is with the Department of Defense. And so they are critical partners for us and working closely with them.
They have approximately under 175,000 light duty, medium and heavy duty vehicles. The other third is the postal service. You know, when you see that, it's pretty intuitive because they're in all of our neighborhoods, right? That's about 241,000 vehicles. Then all the other agencies in the federal government comprised of the last three. And within that third, there are a number of larger agencies that that work very closely with us on.
That gives you a little bit of an idea of the breakdown. And if you take the postal service and break down further out of the 241,000, 200,000 are light duty vehicles. Most of the delivery vehicles we see in our neighborhoods are old internal combustion engine vehicles that have been around for a very long time. And then they have about 40,000 medium heavy duty.
And so the agency missions often determine what type of vehicles they are required. It depends on what they're doing. For example, DHS, largest law enforcement agency in the world, and they need ZEV that perform those duties at the border and during natural disasters. And so they need specific types of vehicles. And the OEM, the car manufacturers are definitely trying to meet that need.
National Park Service uses Ford Lightnings in our national forests. And so so as each agency they they they they referred to a mission. This is our mission. So you need Mark you need to work with us consistent with our mission. And so that's part of the challenge is to make sure that those different agencies are acquiring
the vehicles that are currently available to meet their mission.
Rob Trubia
Mark do you talk to the automobile industry, I mean, representing such a huge fleet of vehicles? Do you have interaction with them about your needs?
Mark Dowd
Yes, we do. And they are generally very good partners. You know, when it's a challenging environment for all of us, it's a it's a challenge environment for them, too. I think in 2022, they are you know, there's supply chain issues coming out of the pandemic were acute. And they were they were struggling with getting those vehicles off their off their lots.
And I think that as a good partners to the federal government, some some times there's not ample supply of those vehicles. I think 23 changed that. You know, it certainly appears and feels like it's it's transitioning away. But, yes, we have we have to be engaged with with the with the with the OEMs.
Rob Trubia
Mark, what most encourages you right now in your role with everything you're doing?
Mark Dowd
You know, I had an EV back in, you know, 20, 2011, 2012 and it was not optimal. And the EVs that are out there now are out there. They're fun to drive. They're interesting. They're once you kind of turn that corner of of getting away from the anxiety of the way we did things for X amount of years and trying something new.
It's almost pretty immediate that the positives by far outweigh the negatives. On a behavioral basis. What I think is fascinating is watching leadership change similarly on the way you do things.
So I think it's that's the encouraging for me. The encouraging thing is to watch the behavioral change where people go from, yeah, that's nice, but I'm not going to do that because it's not consistent with my lifestyle. What I want to do, you know, I drive up to New York every day, I can't have an EV, and then next thing you know, they're like, Oh, that that actually works pretty well.
That's that's the most encouraging fun part.
Rob Trubia
Yeah, It's an exciting time for sure. Fascinating. Really. Mark, thank you for taking the time to be with us today. We really do appreciate it. Next on the show is Crystal Philcox from GSA. Crystal, where are we right now with the GSA fleet in terms of electric vehicles, maybe the percentage that we're at at this point in time?
Crystal Philcox
Yeah. You know, we have really been out working with agencies and where that suppliers to try to purchase as many electric vehicles as we possibly can. We have available to us what the market is providing. And so, you know, as we're working with folks, we are just trying to make really strong partnerships, making sure our suppliers know what our planning is for the future and what what agencies really need, and also talking with agencies about their mission needs and where they really could move to electric vehicles.
So right now, this year, we're at about almost 19% of our light duty vehicle purchases as zero emission. And that's four for this year, FY 23. So we were really happy with that. If we could get more, we would we would definitely buy more.
Rob Trubia
That's higher than I thought you were going to say 19%. That's pretty good. That's impressive. Why now is this push towards electric vehicles? Seems like we're pushing harder than ever.
Crystal Philcox
Yeah, well, we have the the executive order that is pushing us to acquire 100% of vehicles as zero emission by 2035, but at light duty by 2027. So, you know, with GSA, we're the mandatory source for purchasing vehicles across federal government. So we have our our leasing program, but we also have agencies who have their own their own agency own fleets, but they buy through us.
So, you know, it makes sense that GSA would sort of be at the center of this. And when you look at, you know, some of this Department of Energy data around emissions that shows that the transportation sector makes up about 28% of total annual emissions. So and that's continuing to grow. So we as GSA, you know, with with the with our activities with vehicles, we really have an opportunity to help minimize that impact.
And, you know, right now the market is there that and it's moving in this direction. The technology is there. We've got enough funding in place to start this transition. And it will take time. You know, it will we will transition over time. But we provide a commercial product. We provide you know, commercially built vehicles. And as the industry moves in this direction, we have got to also move in this direction.
And I am just happy that we are able to be kind of a leader in this space and and really focus on that emission reduction as well as set ourselves up to create more cost and operational benefits in the future.
Rob Trubia
Did you say been 2027 you were going to be at hundred percent? That was the goal.
Crystal Philcox
100% of acquisitions. So the.
Rob Trubia
Acquisitions.
Crystal Philcox
New vehicles acquired the goal, right, 100% by 2027 for light duty vehicles. And frankly, our federal fleet, about 70% of them are light duty vehicles.
Rob Trubia
Okay. So what's a light duty vehicle.
Crystal Philcox
Pickup, truck, sedan and anything that sort of carries passengers around, that's not a big bus or a, you know, transit vehicle.
Rob Trubia
So by 2027, if I want a vehicle for my agency or my department, my unit, whatever it might be, it's got to be electric.
Crystal Philcox
That's the goal that we if we can work with industry to supply us 100% of our acquisitions as electric by 2027 for our light duty vehicles. That's that's our goals to to make that happen.
Rob Trubia
What are the easiest vehicles to swap out for electric where are you finding with your customers like, oh this is great, we're excited, let's move. And then on the opposite end of that, where you're getting maybe a little bit more pushback or more concern.
Crystal Philcox
When we're looking at how to swap out vehicles, we're really working very closely with agencies on their mission. And and the easiest to implement are those really right now that have very predictable driving patterns. Maybe they come back to a dedicated place to charge in the evenings. And so, you know, those are the kinds of vehicles we're targeting first.
So for instance, we we just worked with the VA to deploy 140 solar charging stations at VA hospitals nationwide and and they're really testing those out, trying to see, okay, how are these going to work for us where, you know, those stations are movable. So where can where can we best use them? Sometimes they also have older, older buildings so they don't have maybe the quite the electrical grid that they need.
So these solar stations really work for them and and it helps them test out what is going to be best for their mission. So working with the customers in that way is really what we're but we're focused on. Bases are also a great opportunity to deploy EVs and kind of reduce our carbon footprint there. And, you know, D.O.D. is doing an amazing job at deploying a lot of EVs and they're taking really big steps forward as they as they focus on kind of their energy footprint.
Rob Trubia
You talked a little bit about charging. Charging is a big concern. It's also just a big part of having an electric vehicle. You talked about solar charging stations at VA locations. I think that's very interesting. What is GSA doing as far as charging at other locations? Is that a big concern? How problematic is that or how expensive is it?
Is that one of the biggest challenges?
Crystal Philcox
In addition to supply chain? I would say charging is our number one challenge, really understanding how to deploy the infrastructure in a way that that makes sense that, you know, everyone understands has training on that is adaptable with the grid that's in that location. All of those are considerations. So the other thing that's challenging really is that in agencies, you know, we've got the fleet managers in one organization and the site managers might be in a different organization.
And so these folks are needing to really coordinate with each other at this point and with the local utilities. So when they're thinking about, you know, how are they going to install charging stations, they're thinking about the the grid, the local utility. If they can support upgrading that grid, they've got those folks have some grant money right now.
So some they have been helpful in some areas. Also looking at a doing a full electrical capacity assessment of that site, as well as looking at the garage. If there's a garage location, they're trying to make sure that the garages up to safety standards and and weight standards, EVs are about three times as heavy as a regular internal combustion engine vehicle.
So, you know, all of those considerations come into play here. And and then, you know, as we are looking at all of the different charging stations, were also thinking about the need to meet the federal cybersecurity requirements. Got a number of charging station companies on on contract and we are working with them to get either ATOd or fedramped whatever is most appropriate for them and their data.
And so we've been working with them for quite a while on that. We've got a couple that are look like they are going to get their FEDRAMP certifications right around October of this year and the rest will follow pretty shortly in FY24. So lot of things to consider as we think about, you know, upgrading the charging infrastructure and and working with agencies on that.
Rob Trubia
I'm curious about training, perhaps training for actually operating the vehicles, perhaps training for maintaining the vehicles, but really more for operating. I mean, this is very different. It's a quick learning curve. Is there any particular training that you're either recommending or offering for people and agencies with brand new electric cars?
Crystal Philcox
We do. So we offer virtual and in-person training, and that includes the basics. It includes sort of side by side comparison of features between like electric vehicles and internal combustion vehicles. We focus a lot on how to charge and and pay for for the charging. And so we've had sessions lately, actually where our suppliers have come in and provided sort of hands on training on their particular vehicle models.
So that has been really helpful for folks and made people feel a lot more comfortable that, you know, when when they order that electric vehicle and it just gets dropped on their base or at their agency, you know, they they have someone who can support them in learning how to operate that and what they need to do to make sure they keep it charged and keep that battery healthy.
Rob Trubia
Throughout my time working for the government, I've seen vehicles that I never see anywhere but on a military base or at the VA or anything like that. It's like, where did they get this? It's a little bit different than all the other vehicles, maybe just with the different types of options and that kind of thing. Is GSA working with manufacturers to produce vehicles, EVs just for them?
Are you getting customized orders?
Crystal Philcox
We are not actually. We we buy commercial. We buy the commercial vehicles that are available. But I will say that we have a lot of different vehicles on on contract. So, you know, we have got all kinds busses and, you know, trucks, state trucks and large trucks and all kinds of different vehicles that are are actually on schedule and are that we offer through our contracts.
And, you know, busses are a great example. So we might we might work with an agency to take a commercial product and then alter that a little bit aftermarket to make it exactly what they need. So those recruiting vehicles have, you know, have all kinds of great marketing plastered all over the sides of them, which which is very fun.
We've got, you know, a mobile VA clinic that's that's roaming around out there. And that was, you know, shifted shifted around aftermarket. But for some of our electric vehicles, like we've got electric busses that are at the you know, with the National Park Service at Yosemite Glacier, Grand Canyon, Cape Cod, most recently Zion. And and and those are really nice to have in the parks because they're quiet, first of all, and they don't create a lot of noise pollution and and and dramatically reduces emissions in the park so so we do you know work with special missions to make sure that they have the vehicles that they need.
Rob Trubia
I love the Park Service example because, you know, we always think about, you know, zero emissions, green energy. But what you mentioned about them being quiet, it just adds it's just so nice to have a quiet bus. Busses can be very loud and smelly and you go to a national park for a reason. You want to be in nature, you want to enjoy that.
So that's so great to hear that the busses are electric and so many of our national parks now, and I'm sure it's growing and must be growing.
Crystal Philcox
Yes. Yes. And it's growing in the Forest Service as well. So excellent way to be working with them.
Rob Trubia
Do you see additional training coming to the old term here? But motor pool, they're changing the oil, they're changing outbreaks. I mean, these electric vehicles, a lot of them have regenerative braking. So the brake pads last for almost ever. But what about maintenance?
Crystal Philcox
The maintenance on our vehicles is done actually by the private sector. So we contract with maintenance shops all over the country. They're going to be, you know, dealers. They could be mom and pop maintenance shops. We welcome all of them on our contracts. And so if they have the capabilities to work on these electric vehicles and a lot of folks are training on that right now and and really understand all of the details around EVs, I would say for some of our larger our larger vehicles, maybe like our coach busses or something like that, we might send those back to the manufacturer.
Rob Trubia
Crystal, what's been the biggest challenge?
Crystal Philcox
Yeah, I would I would say the biggest challenge is probably infrastructure deployment. Really all of the charging needed to support, to support this. When you think about it right you you're thinking about, you know, site assessments and garage assessments and do I need to dig and can I partner with this utility and do they have money and can we partner our money and and can I pay for it with my WEX card?
And there's also, you know, challenges all throughout the acquisition and ownership of these vehicles as well. So when I talk about, you know, we use commercial maintenance shops, you know, we've got some of I'm thinking now about, you know, do I need to if I've got an EV that's here and it's wrecked, do I need to, you know, build out cinderblock, you know, walls to park it in between So, you know, case it catches fire.
I mean, there's a lot of a lot of considerations when when you're thinking about the whole chain of acquisition and ownership and maintenance of all of these vehicles. So so I think charging is probably has the most questions for us right now and and the biggest challenges. But, you know, honestly, we are knocking those out one by one where we're working through them and and we've got great partnerships with our public building service partners and we are and all of our customers.
And so, you know, just continuing to work through all of those all of those issues and and knock them out one by one.
Rob Trubia
What's fun for you in this process? I know there's a lot of challenges and it's got to be very difficult to push this forward. But what's really rewarding for you as you're going through this and seeing your team make this happen?
Crystal Philcox
The other so much, there's so much, but the biggest one I think is really just working across government. They're very focused on this goal. All agencies are very focused on this goal. They are they know how how big of an impact this will be to reduce emissions and, you know, it's not going to happen overnight. We don't have the supply chain to help it happen overnight.
If we did, we would try to get there. But, you know, so it'll happen over time. But but everyone is very focused on reducing emissions and it just feels like folks are seizing this moment. Right. We are definitely seizing this moment. We are doing everything we can to educate ourselves and all of the other all of the agencies and electric vehicles and the transition to electric vehicles.
And we need to do this and we need to do it a little more quickly than than maybe government sometimes moves because the industry is coming right there. They are moving in this direction. They are making this transition. They have made a ton of investment in this area. So, you know, the time is now. The time is now.
Everything is aligned. And and we are really pushing forward hard on this goal. And I think all other agencies are excited about it as well.
Rob Trubia
It's an exciting time. I mean, really, it's a transformative time.
Crystal Philcox
Yes. It's very it's very big. And the you know, the fact that we have some funding, that agencies have some funding that we've got, you know, some very organized goals around this and that the industry is poised to move in this direction. I think all the stars are aligning right now.
Rob Trubia
Krystal, where would our listeners go to learn more about GSA's transition to an EV fleet?
Crystal Philcox
Customer agencies can go to GSA.gov/electrifythefleet.
Rob Trubia
I really want to thank you for your time. This has been a lot of fun. It's very interesting and it's going to be exciting to watch. I mean, it's really happening right in front of our eyes, even as we drive down the street, we're seeing more and more EVs in the private sector and we are going to see certainly more and more in the government sector.
Thank you, Crystal. We appreciate your time.
Crystal Philcox
Thanks so much for having me.
Rob Trubia
Hey, that concludes today's episode of GSA Does That!? A big thank you to our guests for providing an insider's view on the shift to electric within the fleet. It's been fascinating to learn firsthand about GSA's rapid transition to zero emission vehicles. With Crystal Philcox leading, the GSA is transforming the future into today's reality. And now, you know, GSA does that.
Thank you for tuning in, as always. If you have questions, topics or just feedback for the show, drop us a line. We love hearing from you. Our email address is gsadoesthat@gsa.gov. Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss out on future episodes. And if you found today's episode informative, do us a favor share with a friend or colleague.
Every share helps the show. I'm your host, Rob Trubia. Our executive producer is the one and only Max Stempora. GSA Does That!? is a production of the U.S. General Services Administration Office of Strategic Communication.