The South Pasadena police department showed off its first-in-the-nation all-electric fleet on Monday, comprised of 20 Model Y and Model 3 Teslas.
Police Chief Brian Solinsky tells KNX News' Karen Adams, "We're saving fuel, [and] vehicle repairs. We are helping the environment, and then, of course, it's fiscally responsible because if we look over 10 years, we're looking at saving a couple hundred thousand dollars."
Solinsky said this project was a long time coming—about ten years in the making—and they paid attention to every detail to ensure the cars were worth the effort.
"They're state of the art," Solinsky said, "We have put a lot of care and research into this vehicle. Everything from the lighting package to the safety features, even the prisoner care transport features."
Inside new S Pasadena PD Tesla patrol carsKNX News
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The new fleet comes with the infrastructure to keep it charged, and Solinsky believes their system will set the standard for agencies in the future.
The city crunched the numbers and said that the zero-emission police cruisers will save approximately $4,000 per car annually.
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