One year ago, the city of Berea in Kentucky purchased four Tesla Model 3s for use by the police force.
The police force used three as cruisers and one as an unmarked car and the reviews are in – the Berea Police Force loves its Teslas, and it is easy to see why.
After one year, the biggest takeaway for the police force was the cost savings. By running three Model 3s as police cruisers, the police force saved $24,000 in fuel and maintenance.
Interestingly, the most significant maintenance savings were in the brakes. Tesla’s regenerative braking meant that the vehicles did not have to go through high-performance brakes like other patrol cars.
This saved the city $2,000 per vehicle alone.
“The regenerative braking of the Tesla completely dissolved that cost for us and that is something that we weren’t expecting,” said Berea, Kentucky Police Chief Eric Scott (via CleanTechnica)
The city worked with Evolve KY to install six Level 2 chargers for exclusive use by police to support electrification. The city installed a further 17 chargers around the community.
The officers need to pay attention to ensure the vehicles have a charge, much like they would check if there was enough gas in the car.
In rare instances, officers took vehicles home to charge and the police force provided officers with a stipend to pay for the cost of electricity.
The Berea Police Department has already chatted with several police departments in Kentucky about their experience with the Tesla Model 3 as police cruisers.
