Police departments across the United States are adding Tesla vehicles to their fleets in an effort to reduce their carbon emissions. As we have seen with those that have already added an EV, the financial savings can also be substantial and even outweigh the price paid to originally purchase the car.
Such is the case for the Somerset Police Department in Wisconsin, which added a Model Y to their fleet last month. Based on their analysis, they expect to save nearly $84,000 over the planned 10-year operational life of the electric SUV. That figure is when compared against a hybrid police vehicle, and not even a fully internal combustion engine (ICE) cruiser.
In a post to the Somerset PD Facebook page Chief Joel Trepczyk outlines how they will be able to achieve those savings, comparing cost items against a Ford Explorer Hybrid. While many citizens tend to oppose the “extravagent” purchase of a Tesla police car, which in this case costs $18,000 more than the Explorer Hybrid, the savings quickly add up.
In fuel Trepczyk says they will save $5,200 per year, also saving $3,912 per year on maintenance, both of which appear to be quite reasonable. Add in the fact that the ICE cruiser is only expected to last 5 years compared to the expected 10 years for the Model Y, and by year 10 the savings add up to $83,810. That is $18,810 more than the original cost of the Model Y, including the cost to upfit the electric SUV with the required police equipment.
Expecting to get some critical feedback from citizens, Trepczyk outlined some of the reasons, including the financial ones, why the Model Y was a better choice for the Somerset PD.
- No oil changes
- Regenerative braking
- Battery designed for 500,000 miles
- Drivetrain/motors designed for 1,000,000 miles
- Five-year/125,000 mile drivetrain and battery warranty
- Most are American-made vehicles
- Highest crash test rating
- Superior performance
- Long vehicle life
He also attempted to answer some questions before they were even asked like “Aren’t electric vehicles worse for the environment,” and “Will the electric grid be able to handle the load that electric vehicles will demand.”
You can see how those questions were answered in the police chief’s full Facebook post below (via Police1). Just maybe don’t read the comments unless you want to get upset with the lack of EV education that is still present in today’s society.
Stay tuned for an exciting story involving Tesla and a Canadian police force that we will be publishing tomorrow.
