The Bridgewater Police Service in Nova Scotia looks like they will be the first police force in Canada to officially add a Tesla to their fleet of patrol cars.
Mayor David Mitchell announced the exciting development on Twitter following Bridgewater Town Council’s approval of the purchase at a meeting on Monday.
I’m pretty excited that @TownBridgewater council agreed last night to purchase a @Tesla police car, one of the first in Atlantic Canada! Our data shows that this will cost less over its life than a conventional one. The future is green! Note:Photo is not our car but a stock photo pic.twitter.com/fizQRzM9rO
— Mayor David Mitchell (He/Him) (@MayorMitchellNS) February 15, 2022
Mitchell said the Bridgewater Police Service was in need of new patrol cars this year, and after seeing the financial savings of going with an electric vehicle (EV), the decision was an easy one, even though it will cost about $15,000 more than their traditional police cruisers.
“We looked at communities with similar climates to ours that have made the switch to EV patrol cars and they report annual savings of around $5,000 in addition to EVs lasting a few years longer than their gas counterparts,” Mitchell told CKBW.
They also went with Tesla instead of electric offerings from other automakers because they deemed it the only EV suitable for police use and that was available within a reasonable time frame.
The Model 3 hasn’t been ordered yet as the town still needs to finalize some paperwork, but Mitchell expects to place the order within the next few weeks.
Since Tesla doesn’t sell Model 3s already outfitted for police use, the car will have to be retrofitted upon its arrival in Nova Scotia.
Bridgewater will be buying two new police vehicles, but only one will be a Model 3. Town Council approved $143,000 for the purchase and outfitting of the two police cruisers.
Just last week the City of Repentigny in Quebec announced the purchase of a Ford Mustang Mach-E for their local police force.
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