Photo: Fremont Police Department
Having electric cars patrol the streets as part of some police department’s fleet of cars is not something new. Over the years, several such organizations across the globe have tried their luck with EVs, but to date very few of them have actually converted to chasing bad guys in an eco-minded fashion.
The latest police department to announce its plans to go green is the one of Fremont, California, the home city of Tesla, the world most famous electric carmaker. There, the local Police Department announced last week plans to begin a pilot program meant to help it reduce gas emissions.
The pilot program calls for the use of a Tesla Model S 85 for patrol operations, a car that is currently undergoing the required modifications for the task.
The car was purchased by the police department in January last year for $61,478.50 as a replacement for a 2007 Dodge Charger. Since then, the car has been in various shops to be fitted with standard police equipment.
It cost the department $4,447 to date to get the car in shape, but that sum is expected to grow further -not by much - as the fitting of the car with police gear nears completion.
The police department says that, in addition to being much greener than other internal combustion cruisers, the Tesla is much cheaper to gear up. A Ford Explorer, for instance, requires about $40,000 to get in shape for police duties.
For the operation of the Model S, the Fremont police department also had 872 kW of solar panels installed at its headquarters to support the three charging stations located there.
As part of the pilot program, the department will monitor “performance, durability, range, costs, and unknowns that will only be fully understood once the pilot test is completed and the results are evaluated,” in its attempt to cut back on the 980 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year it is responsible for.
The pilot program calls for the use of a Tesla Model S 85 for patrol operations, a car that is currently undergoing the required modifications for the task.
The car was purchased by the police department in January last year for $61,478.50 as a replacement for a 2007 Dodge Charger. Since then, the car has been in various shops to be fitted with standard police equipment.
It cost the department $4,447 to date to get the car in shape, but that sum is expected to grow further -not by much - as the fitting of the car with police gear nears completion.
The police department says that, in addition to being much greener than other internal combustion cruisers, the Tesla is much cheaper to gear up. A Ford Explorer, for instance, requires about $40,000 to get in shape for police duties.
For the operation of the Model S, the Fremont police department also had 872 kW of solar panels installed at its headquarters to support the three charging stations located there.
As part of the pilot program, the department will monitor “performance, durability, range, costs, and unknowns that will only be fully understood once the pilot test is completed and the results are evaluated,” in its attempt to cut back on the 980 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year it is responsible for.
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