Background/Objectives
The U.S. Federal Government is proceeding down a path of electrifying light duty fleet vehicles by 2027 and medium and heavy-duty fleet vehicles by 2035. This electrification of non-tactical vehicles (NTVs) is driven by a multitude of factors, including market dynamics, climate/sustainability concerns, Federal Executive Orders, and vehicle offerings. At the same time, employees and visitors to Federal installations are increasingly driving privately owned electric vehicles (PEVs). All of these vehicles require varying levels of secure, available electricity in order to recharge their batteries.
To prepare for these EVs, Federal installations must plan, design, procure, install, and sustain the necessary electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) and electrical infrastructure ahead of need. Given the aged state of infrastructure commonly seen across Federal installations, compounded by the mandate to acquire (or produce) carbon-emissions free electricity (CFE), installation stakeholders face a daunting set of challenges: they must figure out how to upgrade their energy infrastructure and fleets in a matter of months and years, not decades, all without a commensurate increase in budgetary guidance.
Approach/Activities
To address this challenge, Leidos is leading a series of pilots, run by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), to prototype a variety of technology, process, ownership, and economic solutions collectively referred to as EV Charging as a Service (EV CaaS). These pilots are being performed at three U.S. Air Force installations: Dover AFB (in Delaware), Fairchild AFB (in Washington), and Plant 42 (in California).
Leidos is designing and implementing a modern, resilient, scalable, and secure power infrastructure solution. It provides the necessary resources for the Air Force’s fleet of non-tactical vehicles to be charged and ready for use at multiple installations across the continental United States. In includes standard and “fast” commercial EVSE for the point of charge, an innovative and modular aboveground EV balance of systems (EVBoS) infrastructure, replicable hub and spoke physical architecture, and cloud-based FedRAMP secure digital architecture. Leidos is also demonstrating an integrated and controlled Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) to provide off-grid energy resilience at certain locations. Leidos is deploying third-party financing to shift EVSE ownership, property accountability, and operations and sustainment into the vendors’ hands, further reducing the budgetary burden associated with lifecycle ownership.
Results/Lessons Learned
The DIU EVCaaS contract was signed in August 2023; within 47 days Leidos broke ground on the first hub at Fairchild AFB. Installation and commissioning will be complete for that site by mid-December 2023 with additional sites at all three installations coming online in 1Q and 2Q CY24. By the time ICR24 is held, we will have valuable vehicle usage and financial data along with initial findings to share.
This is the first EVCaaS pilot for NTVs to be run in the Department of Defense (DoD), and each of the military services (as well as non-DoD organizations such as the Department of Energy and the Department of State) are watching it closely as a potential model to replicate. Further, the digital/physical architecture can be leveraged for NTVs, POVs, and even mission specific electric vehicles such as flightline support and aviation ground equipment, drones, and as they become available, tactical vehicles.