politico.com: An industrial policy for the 21st century
WE HAVE ONE WORD FOR YOU. JUST ONE WORD: Batteries.
Let's start in the U.S. President Joe Biden is moving quickly to accelerate the shift to electric vehicles and jump-start a domestic industry. Days after taking office, he signed an executive order to use American-made, union-built, zero-emission cars, vans and trucks to ferry government employees.
It’s a vivid example of how Biden won’t need Congress to act on climate. It’s an even more vivid example of how hard it will be to deliver real change.
Here's why. Uncle Sam operates America’s largest fleet, with more than 645,000 vehicles, according to the General Services Administration. Only 3,215 of them are all-electric. Add plug-in hybrids to the mix and the electric fleet still totals only 4,475 vehicles.