Sheriff putting Tesla on patrol
BOULDER COUNTY» To move away from gas-powered vehicles and to a more sustainable mode of transportation, the sheriff’s office purchased a Tesla as its latest patrol vehicle.
“We are keenly aware that many people perceive Tesla vehicles as ‘luxury vehicles.’ And while that is true for a large segment of their product line, Tesla’s mission has been the proliferation of electric vehicles into the mainstream market,” said a news release from sheriff’s office. “Tesla vehicle prices have become much more affordable in recent years. Additionally, the specifications are comparable to the current Ford Police Interceptor SUVS currently in use for patrol, while providing exceptional safety, performance and reliability.”
Sgt. Clay Leak, who is leading the county’s initiative to test its first Tesla, said the county’s new Model Y Long Range Tesla replaced an old 2013 Ford Police Interceptor SUV.
The new Tesla has been outfitted with the decals of the sheriff’s office as well as a full suite of emergency equipment used in many other counties’ patrol vehicles. It primarily will be assigned for traffic enforcement, although it will be tested to examine its potential for other uses.
“I have to put together some training materials about the differences between normal patrol cars and this car. The plan is for about a dozen or so officers to test it and to get some significant feedback on it,” Leak said.
Without the added equipment, the price for the new Tesla was $52,000, Leak said. A Ford Police Interceptor SUV, commonly used by the sheriff’s office, costs about $40,000. “The car is more expensive up front, but most of the other agencies that have started incorporating Teslas are finding that between six to 18 months, the cars are making up that difference,” Leak said.
Because of the simplicity of design and lack of moving parts, the Tesla is expected to have a much longer service life than its internal combustion engine counterparts, the release said.
Law-enforcement vehicles spend a great deal of time idling and engaging in sudden start-andstop driving. Vehicles with internal combustion engines consume significant amounts of fossil fuels and produce a lot of wear and tear on the engine components, the release said.
Data from the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office shows the average life of a patrol vehicle is five years or 105,000 miles, the release said. Over its life, the vehicle’s fuel and maintenance costs equate to about 19 cents per mile driven, while the Tesla Model Y’s operating and maintenance costs equate to about 3 cents per mile driven. That equates to about $19,635 in fuel and maintenance costs for the Ford Police Interceptor SUV compared with only $3,045 for the Tesla Model Y.
The sheriff’s office examined electric vehicles from other manufacturers but eliminated them because of costs, lack of availability or because they did not meet the needs of the sheriff’s office, the release said.
“Boulder County has always strived to be eco-friendly in all our operations, and we continue that commitment by being one of the first, if not the first, law enforcement agency in the state of Colorado to bring a Tesla Model Y into our patrol fleet,” the release said.
“Additionally, a portion of the vehicle’s charging will be offset by electricity provided from solar panels, reducing its carbon footprint even more.
“For those concerned about the environmental impact of the batteries, about 90% of the battery components are recyclable once the battery pack reaches the end of its useful vehicle service life, which is anticipated to be well over 500,000 miles.”