A police department from Southern California will reportedly switch to a battery electric vehicle fleet with Tesla cars.
Notably, the electrification initiative makes the South Pasadena PD the first agency of its kind to convert its fleet to all-electric vehicles in the United States.
Electrification initiative
The city of South Pasadena will be given a roughly $500,000 subsidy by the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee to replace the whole fleet of police cars with Teslas. Apart from that, the Southern California Edison’s Charge Ready program and the South Pasadena City Council will also contribute to the funding, per Pasadena Star-News.
The South Pasadena PD will acquire 20 Tesla models for relevant operations, including patrols, detective works, and other tasks.
According to Fox News, the mix will consist of 10 Tesla Model Ys, 10 Model 3s, and 30 charging ports. Pasadena Star-News also reported that the city would deploy nine level 2 charging stations and 1 DC fast charger.
The ports will be located at the City Hall, which will be accessible to the public, per the report.
“We have been investigating this transition for five to six years and determined that these electric vehicles will be the best operationally for us.”
South Pasadena Police Chief Brian Solinsky
South Pasadena partners with Unplugged Performance
The report also noted that the city of South Pasadena had collaborated with Unplugged Performance to customize the Tesla cars.
“Twenty Tesla Model Y and Model 3 vehicles upfitted by Unplugged Performance will replace the legacy internal combustion fleet for South Pasadena Police Department in 2023. The fleet of Tesla vehicles, is a first, for any department to convert its entire fleet of vehicles to 100% electric.”
South Pasadena Police Department
It is worth noting that the Somerset PD was among the first departments to buy a Model Y as a police patrol. They claim that it could save them $80,000 in 10 years. The South Pasadena PD may be considering the same savings for its planned Model Y cars.
“Tesla’s stunning track record of reliability, low maintenance costs, and impressive on-road performance and driving dynamics make EV transition a safe choice for many departments.
The cost savings are undeniable, and being able to bring Tesla’s entire suite of crash and safety systems to bear on officer safety is an added benefit above and beyond the economics of operating and maintaining this modern EV fleet.”
Police Sgt. Tony Abdalla, South Pasadena Police Department EV Project Transition Lead
See Also:
- Police chief claims Tesla Model Y patrol car will save them $80,000
- Tesla Model Y leads the Chinese all-electric SUV market in March
- 2023 Tesla Model Y – Review, Pricing, and Specification
- All Tesla Model Y variants are now eligible for the $7,500 EV tax credit with a new $80,000 price limit
- Norway: Plug-in EV market grew 18% YoY in March 2023, Tesla Model Y leads
The city expects to complete the South Pasadena PD’s fleet transition by February 2024.
