SAN DIEGO, Nov. 17, 2022 — Beam Global, (Nasdaq: BEEM, BEEMW), the leading provider of innovative sustainable products and technologies for electric vehicle (EV) charging, energy storage, energy security and outdoor media, announced that the General Services Administration (GSA) placed an order for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to receive 140 Beam EV ARC™ sustainable off-grid charging systems. The systems will be deployed across 34 locations in 12 states including Hawaii. The purchase was made by GSA for VA through GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Contract Number 47QSWA21D0006 which simplifies the federal procurement process and ensures best pricing.
GSA is partnering with Veterans Affairs to build a more sustainable future for its fleet and its facilities across the country. VA’s EV ARC™ systems support Executive Order 14057 calling for 100% zero-emission federal fleet light duty vehicle acquisitions by 2027 and will support VA’s growing fleet of ZEVs that help serve Veterans. The EV ARC™ charging systems will be deployed at medical and administrative VA locations in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Missouri, Nevada, Texas and Virginia.
“We are thrilled to see American-made EV ARC systems going to the first of the 1,255 medical and administrative Veterans Affairs locations across the U.S. We proudly employ veterans and invite more to join us,” said Beam Global CEO Desmond Wheatley. “As federal initiatives like Executive Order 14057 and funding programs like the Inflation Reduction Act gain momentum, we expect continued growth in the federal sector. Our sustainable EV charging solutions create American manufacturing jobs to build American made products that serve zero emission transportation with 100% locally generated renewable and resilient energy. We look forward to helping VA and all our federal partners transition to electric vehicles and build a brighter future for coming generations.”
Each EV ARC™ charging system generates and stores its own electricity and delivers that power to a dual-plug EV charger from ChargePoint Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CHPT), a leading EV charging network, to charge two electric vehicles simultaneously. Off-grid and powered by renewable energy, the systems are rapidly deployed turnkey sustainable charging systems requiring no construction, no electrical work and no utility connection. On-board battery storage enables EVs to charge during the night, inclement weather and grid outages, and the Emergency Power Panel can provide vital electricity to VA personnel and first responders during disasters and grid outages.
The VA’s Veterans Health Administration is the largest integrated health care network in the United States, with 1,255 health care facilities serving 9 million enrolled Veterans annually. President Biden’s Executive Order 14057 with its accompanying Federal Sustainability Plan calls for 100% zero-emission vehicle acquisitions by 2035, including 100% light-duty acquisitions by 2027. This is prioritizing and accelerating a Federal Clean Electricity and Vehicle Procurement Strategy, calling for clean and zero emissions vehicles (ZEVs) for federal, state, local and tribal government fleets. There are approximately six-hundred and seventy-five-thousand vehicles in the federal fleet.
For more information on how federal, local and state government entities can purchase Beam’s EV ARC™ turnkey sustainable EV charging solutions from the federal GSA Contract Number 47QSWA21D0006, please contact The Beam Team at 858-799-4583 or BeamTeam@BeamForAll.com.
*This order was made public during Beam Global’s earnings announcement on November 10, 2022
God forbid that money be spent on the people who actually need it.
I hear plenty of stories of people scamming the system online, but every vet I personally know has been jerked around or outright denied.
Seems like a reasonably good idea. The VA has to operate a fleet of vehicles. These things are going into southern, sunny states where the weather means good solar charging. Total lifecycle cost of EVs has dropped significantly. They require much less maintenance than ICE, and at least where I live, the cost of adding a mile to the “tank” is only 40% what equivalent gasoline costs. Get your electricity from the sun and it’s cheaper still. That $11.7M might turn a positive ROI sooner than you think.
So I’m in favor of saving some $ and not contributing to the high price of oil that just gives the Russians and Saudis more money to use to fund attacks on us and our allies. Win win.
I work law enforcement for the VA, and very closely with our facility’s transportation section. A VA medical center is like a small city, and has a corresponding fleet to match: Engineering, Police Services, Fire, Emergency Management, Patient Transportation, Grounds, Facilities, Social Services, the list goes on.
ICE vehicles easily cost tax payers millions in maintenance annually, not to mention the cost of gasoline. GSA repairs for ICE vehicles can take weeks or months for things like water pumps, serpentine belts, and engine repairs when preventative maintenance isn’t enough. Police vehicles are maintenance hogs because of engine wear and tear, same goes for buses. Services to Veterans suffer as a consequence; the shuttle that moves them between buildings doesn’t show because it’s in the shop, a plumber can’t fix that leaky toilet fast because the one truck not out of service in their section is on the other side dealing with a busted hydrant.
Long story short: You can’t help the people who need it if you can’t get to where you need to go. Replacing ICE with BEV saves money in the long run and GSA leases would cycle the vehicles out before significant battery degradation and maintenance costs, unlike ICE.