Several police departments across the country are turning to all-electric Teslas for patrol duties, citing lower operating costs and environmental benefits.
The Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Police Department recently took delivery of the city’s first fully electric vehicle, a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The vehicle, which is now in service for traffic enforcement and various other patrol functions, will be tested for 100,000 miles and continually evaluated for overall performance. The electric vehicle joins 12 hybrid models across the city’s fleet, including two plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
Eden Prairie’s Police Chief Matt Sackett said that based on the department’s research and anecdotes from other police fleets with Teslas, he anticipates “a high level of performance and low maintenance costs.”
The Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, Police Department also adopted a Model Y this month after receiving an anonymous donation from a local family.
In April, the department announced that it had received a donation in the amount of $65,000 for the purchase of the vehicle, full upfit costs, and the installation of a Tesla wall charger. WMURreports that Wolfeboro is now tracking data on the vehicle, which has been assigned to the department’s Police Captain Mark Livie for patrol shifts.
So, our town now has Police Tesla’s. That was our 4th of July flex. #tesla#wolfeboro#usapic.twitter.com/WVaBMQRrU2
— W. Alexander📚🎨🏳️🌈 (@W_Alexander___) July 6, 2021
In Ohio, Gates Mills Police Department also received an anonymous donation from a local citizen: a Model S. The vehicle, which had an original purchase price of approximately $80,000, was gifted to the department with about 7,000 miles on its odometer, according to Cleveland.com. Gates Mills Police Chief Gregg Minichello told the news source that the new vehicle aligns with the department’s current needs — it's environmentally friendly and includes nine cameras for extra safety. The plan is to use the Tesla as a pilot to determine the adoption of more EVs in the future.
Village of Gates Mills Police Dept. reveals its #Tesla#ModelS Cruiser at July 4th Parade in Ohio https://t.co/fZTqIAc4wcpic.twitter.com/OsqnqzqJLf
— TheTeslaLife (@TheTeslaLife) July 6, 2021
Meanwhile, last month the New York Police Department rolled out a Model 3, following the electric footprints of neighboring Hastings on Hudson, New York, Police Department and Yonkers, New York, Police Department.
According to procurement documents from the city, the long-range AWD variant of Tesla’s most popular sedan was chosen because it “is optimized for police highway patrol operations."
Love to see it! pic.twitter.com/thTuZ8f4nt
— Tesla Owners Club New York State (@TOCNYS) July 7, 2021
More recently, the Westport, Connecticut, Police Department received a report issued to the town by the EV Club of Connecticut, which promotes the adoption of electric vehicles, to assess the financial impacts of the department's 2020 Tesla Model 3 that was purchased in December 2019. According to the report, the EV has exceeded performance, cost savings, and environmental benefits expectations — with $12,582 savings in fuel alone after four years from using electricity to power the vehicle.
