Cops in Southern California are driving the nation's first all-electric fleet of police cars after officials were jolted into giving up their old gas guzzlers.
The South Pasadena Police Department unveiled a specially outfitted Tesla Model Y SUV with low-profile emergency lights, push bars and a black-and-white paint job with blue flourishes during a ceremony outside City Hall on Monday.
Councilmember Michael Caccioitti, a regional air quality official, said the new, 20-vehicle fleet would eliminate emissions ordinarily caused when officers leave their cars idling during traffic stops or responding to calls, the Associated Press reported.
"This is important, particularly in the Los Angeles area, which still has the most unhealthful air in the nation," said Cacciotti, who pushed for the switch. "We hope other police departments in the region and state will make the switch, too."
The move came after satellite photos shot earlier this year showed parking lots full of Tesla EVs as the company struggled to sell off its inventory and laid off 10% of its global workforce in April.
But after U.S. EV sales stalled during the first quarter of 2024, Kelley Blue Book said earlier this month that they grew by 11.3% during the second quarter, compared to the same period last year, buoyed in large part by new offerings from General Motors.
The new police cars will cost city taxpayers $1.85 billion, with more than half the total cost paid for by local electricity companies and the state-funded Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee, AP said.
But it's expected to save South Pasadena about $4,000 on gas for each vehicle annually, and also reduce maintenance costs.
In May, South Pasadena Police Chief Brian Solinksy said his department had been "investigating this transition for five to six years and determined that these electric vehicles will be the best operationally for us" and called the Teslas the "safest and fastest vehicles" available.
In a video posted Monday on Facebook, police Sgt. Tony Abdalla said the department's existing fleet of gas-powered cars was "probably end of life about three to four years ago."
Patrol officers who've tested out the Teslas gave them high marks for better handling and braking, including after a high-speed freeway chase in the rain, Abdalla said.
"The officers said that they never would have continued with that pursuit in the cars that we were operating versus the Teslas," he said.
Abdallah also said the driving range was "almost identical to the cars that were previously in service," adding, "We're able to get about another 200 miles of range in 15 minutes."
