The US Defense Innovation Unit has awarded Leidos a contract to provide multi-base electric vehicle Charging as a Service (CaaS) for the US Air Force.
CaaS is a package of turnkey services to secure charges of electric vehicle assets at low cost while reducing maintenance, ownership, and integration burdens to customers.
Under the project, Leidos will develop and deploy an advanced, secure, and scalable power infrastructure to address charging requirements for the US Air Force’s non-tactical vehicles.
The resulting solution is expected to keep the capabilities up and running and ready-to-use across multiple domestic air force installations.
The CaaS setup will leverage the “best commercially available technology” and expertise from California charging station company ChargePoint.
Tennessee-based energy storage firm Shoals will also contribute to meeting the project’s timelines and minimal construction costs.
Shoals will support the employment of hardened above-ground power stations and raceways to maintain the efficiency of each base location with the charging solutions and lessen disruption on their existing grids.
“Leidos’ innovative solution sets a new precedent for how federal organizations can leverage third party finance and commercial best practices to rapidly electrify their mission,” Leidos Renewable Energy Executive Director Tristan Bannon said.
“Further, by integrating energy storage, this project should enhance the Air Force’s non-grid-dependent installation energy resilience and serve as a learning model across the Department of Defense.”
