Canada Will Soon Have Its First Tesla Police Car

Canada will soon have its first Tesla police car, Drive Tesla Canada reports. The Bridgewater Police Service in Nova Scotia will be adding a Tesla Model 3 to its fleet of patrol cars. Mayor Davit Mitchell shared his excitement on Twitter, noting that the city council agreed to purchase a Tesla. He added that data showed that the cost will be less over its lifetime than a conventional patrol car.

I’m pretty excited that @TownBridgewater council agreed last night to purchase a @Tesla police car, one of the first in Atlantic Canada! Our data shows that this will cost less over its life than a conventional one. The future is green! Note:Photo is not our car but a stock photo pic.twitter.com/fizQRzM9rO

— Mayor David Mitchell (@MayorMitchellNS) February 15, 2022

In an interview with CKBW, Mitchell explained that they looked at communities similar to his own that have made the switch to electric. He said the police service was in need of new vehicles and thinks that the electric patrol car will save Bridgewater around $5,000 annually compared to a traditional gas patrol car. “We looked at communities with similar climates to ours that have made the switch to EV patrol cars and they report annual savings of around $5,000 in addition to EVs lasting a few years longer than their gas counterparts,” Mitchell told CKBW.

He also said that the Model 3 was chosen since it was the only EV suitable for police use that could be delivered within a reasonable timeframe. Although it hasn’t yet been ordered, they plan to make the purchase in the coming weeks. The town, he explained, is still finalizing other details.

Bridgewater Police Service Deputy Chief Danny MacPhee told CKBW that his department is excited about the news and that all of the research shows that the Model 3 should be an effective police vehicle. The new Tesla Model 3 police vehicle will also serve as a type of test. “With the goal set for all vehicles sold to be electric by 2035 federally we knew we would eventually have to start making changes but we wanted to see for ourselves how accurate the reports we’ve seen from other communities are for ourselves,” Mitchel explained.