Dallas County Commissioners have approved the purchase of three Tesla Model 3 Performance vehicles to add to their local fleet of police cruisers.
The $190,320 purchase was approved at a meeting last week, bucking the trends of most other police departments which opt for the less expensive Model 3 Long Range.
According to a report from NBCDFW, the Performance variant was chosen as it has the shortest delivery timeframe.
“A briefing given to the County Commissioners states “as a result of the ongoing semiconductor microchip and supply chain issues, the length of time to determine if vehicles meet the replacement criteria guidelines could potentially result in ordering banks from the manufacturers to be closed. The recommendation is to purchase the three Tesla Model 3 Performance electric vehicles.”
Tesla’s Design Studio is currently estimating a Model 3 Performance can be delivered as soon as June, compared to as late as December 2022 for the Long Range with 18″ wheels.
When they do arrive (from out of state since Tesla is not allowed to sell their cars directly to consumers in Texas), the EVs will be used as reserve units for law enforcement departments who have their issued vehicle in for repair or scheduled maintenance.
This will allow the departments to test out the Teslas for daily use before committing to purchasing more.
Tesla Model 3 cruisers save Berea Police Department $24,000 in one year
