The City of Seaside in California has approved the purchase of two Tesla Model Y compact crossover SUVs to be added to the police department’s fleet, part of a larger spend on transitioning to electric and hybrid vehicles.
Seaside City Council passed a resolution on Thursday, February 4, authorizing the police department to purchase two Tesla Model Y Long Range All-Wheel Drive vehicles, for the price of $102,980 USD, or $51,490 USD each. The police department paid for black paint and 20-inch Induction wheel upgrades.
Council also approved the police department to buy two Tesla Wall Connectors for a total of $1,000 USD.
The Tesla Model Y purchases were part of a larger spend by the department, as three Ford Interceptor hybrids were also approved for purchase, a total of $142,499.07 USD, according to the council agenda.
Seaside City Council authorized the police department to spend a total of $353,574.99 USD, to transition towards more sustainable transportation for the fleet, reports KION 5/46 News.
Police Chief Adbul Pridgen said the department’s fleet averages 26 miles per day.
“There aren’t very many departments that are deploying electric vehicles and we wanted to be at the forefront of the movement to be more environmentally conscious,” added Pridgen.
Going green! Council approved the purchase of 5 environmentally friendly patrol cars: 2 @Tesla Model Ys and 3 @Ford Interceptor Hybrids. The Tesla’s are less expensive than gas-powered cars over a 5-yr period & won’t emit 11,000 lbs of CO2/yr! #Leadership #GoingGreen pic.twitter.com/96jrUwzptZ
— Chief Abdul D. Pridgen (@AbdulPridgen) February 5, 2021
Funding will come from the police department’s supplemental law enforcement and asset forfeiture monies.
Other city police departments recently jumping on the Tesla Model Y recently include a town in Minneapolis, Spokane Police in Washington State, and this New York village police department.
