1 Year Later: Police Chief Loves Their Tesla Model 3

Originally published on EV Obsession.

It makes sense for police departments all across America to make the switch to electric vehicles, and Tesla, with its affordable Model 3, is a prime candidate.

On August 29, 2019, Bargersville’s Police Department bought the first-ever Tesla Model 3 police car. That was almost a year ago. So far, the vehicle is in pretty excellent shape — having only the rear tires changed. Chief of Police Todd Bertram shared the tweet below.

https://twitter.com/ToddBertram1/status/1277697872088137729

He plans to post an updated cost savings after the year mark and present it to the city council. His tweet opened up a bit of dialogue about ways citizens can convince their local police departments to invest in a Model 3.

PJ noted that they have tried to bring it up but have always been ignored. Bertram replied, “The numbers.” This automatically led me to think of not just showing statistics, but planning the presentation. One would have to present their facts and data at city council meetings and this would require repetitiveness until the city council is eventually won over.

In 2016 and apparently since then, officers from the LAPD have gotten to test out a Tesla Model S. Although the Model S is more expensive than the Model 3, both are environmentally friendly.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mayor Bynum is hoping that Tesla will build its Cybertruck Gigafactory there and he has a special request for Cybertruck police vehicles. He’s even shared an image of a Cybertruck with local police emblems on them.

In light of everything that is going on, it makes sense for police departments to use Tesla vehicles. The police are supposed to be a symbol of safety and protection — by protecting and serving the people. Lately, though, this hasn’t been what they’re known for. There are movements now to defund the police or at least reform them — this is desperately needed in a lot of cities across America.

This may seem crazy, but, having a Tesla police vehicle could benefit the people more than it would the officers. Tesla has 8 cameras on all of its vehicles. This is part of its Sentry Mode as well as its Autopilot features. If a police officer was to pull you over, the car could be recording everything.

When it comes to the Black Lives Matter movement, I am for it and I think that police reform is definitely needed. A part of that would include training and switching to vehicles that don’t cost the cities as much as gasoline vehicles cost them. Many see Tesla as a luxury vehicle, but the Model 3, Tesla’s most affordable vehicle, is made for the average American working and commuting and can easily be comparable to a Toyota Camry or Honda Accord on a cost of ownership basis.

Not only are these vehicles safer for everyone (inside and out), but they are environmentally friendly and don’t contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Due to that, there is no need to go to the gas station and spend thousands each month on gas. That’s money that could go to education and building up communities.