The Sykesville Police Department announced today it has added a Tesla Model Y to their fleet of police cruisers.
The Town of Sykesville, Maryland made the decision to go electric after a year-long of investigation into the reliability, cost, and effectiveness of electric vehicles (EVs) being used in other police forces.
After receiving the Model Y Long Range last year, it was retrofitted with lights, sirens, and radios, with much of the equipment being donated by Major Police Supply, whose national sales manager is a local resident.
Like other jurisdictions who have gone electric, town officials expect the Model Y to result in big savings, even with the higher up front cost compared to their traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) cruisers.
Based on their analysis, the Model Y is about $13,000 more expensive than the Dodge Durango. However, with significantly lower fuel and maintenance costs equating to over $6,000 in annual savings, the town expects to break even and realize savings early in year 3.
The upfitting costs are not listed as both the Model Y and Durango require the same equipment which results in similar totals.
| Model Y | Dodge Durango | Difference | |
| Purchase Price | $ 52,590 | $ 39,202 | $ 13,388 |
| Annual Maintenance Costs | $ 250 | $ 4,928 | $ (4,678) |
| Annual Fuel Costs | $ 391 | $ 1,763 | $ (1,372) |
They also expect the Model Y to last 10 to 12 years before needing to be replaced.
That is significantly longer than the typical 5-6 year lifespan of ICE cruisers, compounding the savings even further.
If it lasts on the short side of their estimate and needs replacing in 10 years, the town will almost be able to pay for a new Model Y with the savings alone.
