The Cayce Police Department has become the first South Carolina police department to deploy an electric vehicle (EV) for operations, announcing this week that they have added a Tesla Model 3 to their fleet.
The police vehicle will be driven by Cayce Public Affairs Officer Lt. Danielle McCord and will primarily be used for public outreach.
Cayce Police Chief Chris Cowan said this about the new vehicle:
The innovation that you see there behind you in that vehicle is not new. It’s not something that’s new to this country, and there are multiple police departments around this country that are deploying them, but in South Carolina, we are the first agency to deploy this technology. (via Lexington Chronicle)
Many police departments have switched to EVs for cost savings on gas and maintenance costs every year even with the higher up front capital cost.
However, for Cayce, the deal is even better as the up front cost to purchase the Model 3 was zero as it was given to the police department.
Additionally, the Model 3 and design wrap was donated by two local Cayce businesses, 212 Motors and Signarama.
For charging, Lexington County School District has a charging station the Model 3 can use at their innovation center.
