The Chevrolet Volt may have just gotten its biggest jolt.
The Obama administration, according to an Associated Press report, is purchasing 101 of the plug-in electric cars — the government’s first purchase viable electric vehicles.
Additionally, the government is also buying 10 battery electric Nissan Leaf vehicles and five Think City EV models from Finish EV startup.
In the same announcement, the government also said it is installing 100 car-charging stations in Washington, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco at a cost of about $500,000.
President Barack Obama has called for a one-third reduction in oil imports by 2025 and wants to put 1 million plug-in electric vehicles on the road by 2015.
The electric car purchases are expected to cut the government’s gasoline usage by almost 29,000 gallons a year, saving taxpayers an estimated $116,000 and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 253 tons, GSA administrator Martha Johnson said.
Article Last Updated: May 24, 2011.
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A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.
In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida.
An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.
