A number of municipalities around the US have elected to go electric in recent months, and even President Joe Biden joined the shift to electric earlier this year with an announcement to replace the federal fleet with electric vehicles (EVs).
On Wednesday, Ipswich, Massachusetts Town Manager Anthony Marino and Police Chief Paul Nikas announced plans to purchase a new Tesla Model Y for its police fleet, according to a press release.
The Model Y will exclusively be used by Nikas for administrative duties, and it will replace a 2011 Ford Taurus which was previously scheduled for replacement this year by the town’s Capital Plan.
Kentucky Town Buys Tesla Model 3 Fleet for Police Department https://t.co/CoiY01sOM2
— TeslaNorth.com (@RealTeslaNorth) March 7, 2021
The Ipswich Police department was offered a $10,000 grant from the Ipswich Electric Light Department and another grant of $4,290 from the Green Community Program. Ultimately, the Ipswich Police Department’s purchase will cost taxpayers about $39,000 – considered comparable to that of a gas car, and even less than the amount budgeted by the town for the new cruiser.
Ipswich officials also estimate that the Model Y will save the police department up to $13,000 in fuel and maintenance costs over the next decade.
Police departments in Kentucky and Ohio have also spent money on Tesla Model 3s and Model Ys, respectively, in recent weeks, with many across the world looking to go electric. Ann Arbor was one of the first city police departments to purchase a non-Tesla EV, instead electing to buy a fleet of Ford Mustang Mach-Es.
