The Ford Crown Victoria‘s days are essentially over when it comes to major police department duty, with most now opting for SUVs. A few departments, however, have been trialing electric vehicles for use by officers with mixed results. Thanks to potential long-term savings on fuel and maintenance, the popularity of EVs as police cars could change in a hurry.
Bloomberg reports that a New York City procurement contract draft shows a potential order for 250 Tesla Model 3s intended for the NYPD. The vehicles would be part of a citywide push for entirely electric fleets, and per the contract draft, they’d cost taxpayers $12.4 million if they were purchased.
To be clear, the order for these Teslas isn’t set in stone yet. Bloomberg viewed a draft that was discussed at a hearing Wednesday morning and no decision date was mentioned. If the cars are purchased, they would join the NYPD’s fleet of 9,000 vehicles, doing a small part to offset the larger group’s carbon emissions.
The city would reportedly pay $51,940 for each vehicle, although it’s unclear what trim the Model 3s might be. At that price, the vehicles are more expensive than the base car that costs $46,490, and just short of the dual-motor, long-range model at $52,490. The NYPD could receive some sort of discount as a part of a fleet sale, although that’s pure speculation.
NYPD, the nation’s largest police force, has reportedly been operating at least one Model 3 patrol car since July of this year, although details on fuel savings and other relevant usage information haven’t been publicized.
I’ve reached out to the NYPD for comment and will update this article with its response.
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