The use of electric cars in tasks such as police surveillance seems logical on paper. The low speeds, the absence of noise and emissions, together with the lowest operating cost and the quick response of their engines, make them the logical choice in most cases. This is the case of the Pasadena, California Police Department, which has decided to take the leap and become a 100% electric fleet.
This decision was made at the end of last year by the City Council, which voted in favor of the change when the current fleet of police vehicles reached the end of its useful life. They had to be replaced, so the administration got down to business.
Local authorities have confirmed that the city will purchase a first batch of 10 units adapted as a patrol car for the Tesla Model Y, who will be in charge of initiating the energy transition. In addition, up to nine low consumption chargers will be installed, as well as a fast charger.
Pasadena Councilman Michael Cacciotti stressed that the project aligns with the city’s Climate Action Plan and will equip officers with cutting-edge technology for public safety vehicles.
Thanks to this bet, Pasadena will become the first city in the United States to have an all-electric fleet. All with an investment financed in large part thanks to the 500,000 dollars provided by the funds of the state of California for the reduction of emissions.
Barely three years to amortize the difference with a gasoline
The Pasadena department has used data such as those provided by other agencies to see that economically the operation makes all the sense in the world.
This is the case of the Police of the city of Sykesville, state of Maryland, who had decided to replace a combustion model with an electric car, also the Tesla Model Y, in this case the Long Range Dual Motor version.
According to his analysis, the Model Y costs about $13,000 more than the Dodge Durango commonly used. However, operating costs are much lower for electricity, both for electricity and maintenance, which they estimate will allow them to reduce the bill by around $6,000 per year. Something that if there are no surprises will mean that in three years they will have discounted the difference with the gasoline model.
Although the purchase price is higher, the lower cost of energy and maintenance allows the utility to offset its higher price in just 36 months. And this is very remarkable when we take into account that the heads of the police department expect the car to be in service for at least 10-12 years.
This would assume large numbers, and without going into questions like if something could fail at some point, what to maintain the savings at the end of these 10 years the authorities will have saved about 60,000 dollars, or more than the cost of the car. A duration that is compared to the 5 or 6 years of the gasoline model, which can even increase the savings figures for the municipal budget.
A Model Y that has recently dropped in price, and that in its Standard version, 449 km EPA, starts in the United States at $47,240, while the Long Range does so at $50,240, while the gasoline Dodge Durango does. at $39,945.
Something that reduces the difference with the gasoline model against the Model Y Long Range DM from the previously calculated $13,000 to $10,295.
