Los Angeles AFB, Calif., became the first Defense Department installation to host an all-electric-vehicle fleet with the rollout of 42 general-purpose, plug-in electric vehicles. Unveiled on Nov. 14, the electric and hybrid vehicles include sedans, trucks, and a 12-passenger van, according to an Air Force release. “From a mission, environmental, and fiscal perspective, this program simply makes good sense,” said Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James. “Energy is key to accomplishing the mission, and as the largest energy consumer in the federal government, we are always looking for opportunities to improve our resiliency, reduce our demand, and assure our energy supply,” said James. Charging stations are now in place on the base that allow the vehicles either to draw power from the base’s electrical grid or pass power to it, states the release. Los Angeles was the pilot base for this Vehicle-to-Grid demonstration, which the Air Force is expanding to JB Andrews, Md., and JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
The Air Force on March 12 awarded contract modifications worth a combined $2.4 billion to Boeing to procure an undisclosed number of E-7 Wedgetail as part of the program's engineering and manufacturing development phase and continue work on the airborne battle management aircraft’s radar.