There are approximately 18,000 gas-powered vehicles in the USFS fleet. That number is likely to change in the coming years as the Biden administration signs an executive order that by 2027 all vehicles purchased by the feds will need to be zero-emissions vehicles.
The USFS gets a head start.
They recently purchased three Ford F-150 Lightnings, Ford's all-electric truck that's quickly becoming the best-selling EV truck in the country. Ford has sold 13,258 trucks to date and there are three years of delays in bookings with more than 200,000 people waiting.
The USFS tests the capabilities of trucks in off-road environments, doing serious things with trucks. Off-roading and ruggedness shouldn't be an issue for the trucks because they're built on a very robust platform, but the Forest Service is interested in how the batteries perform so they can establish best practices as more electric vehicles enter the fleet. A lot of testing will take place in the harsh New England winter weather in the White Mountains.
The plan is to charge the trucks at night so there is no need to invest in any kind of remote charging infrastructure. The USFS rolls around with the least expensive option for their needs (cheaper even than the gas equivalent), with a 230-mile range, four-wheel drive, and a 2,000-pound payload.
Keep in mind that this beta program isn't a test case for trucks to see if they can be used at all - the USFS is satisfied with the platform's capability, they're simply learning how trucks will react to hard work so they can plan accordingly.
And if it's tough enough to work in the outback for the USFS, it's likely tough enough to meet the needs of us car-camping types.
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