The Town of Bargersville in Indiana is set to expand the police department’s Tesla fleet, which currently stands at seven vehicles, amid surging gas prices.
According to officer Jeremy Roll from the Bargersville Police Department, he said, “I think it has been a great investment for us so far,” reports Fox59.
The police department purchased its first Tesla back in 2019, when they estimated gas prices would be going up. “At that time we estimated gas prices would be about $2.70 by the time we got it,” said Roll, who noted the original investment has more than paid for itself. Gas is currently around $5 per gallon.
Bargersville Police say the Tesla fleet costs the department roughly $60 per month to charge. Regular gas cars in the police fleet cost over $550 per month. At seven Tesla vehicles, that’s $4,200 USD per month in gas savings.
“Being that we have these now, the decision to put us in those vehicles turns out to be a really good one,” added Roll.
The new Bargersville Police Department headquarters has four charging stations, with a free public charging station added soon.
As for the Tesla fleet, Roll said, “for us and the range that they have they haven’t caused any problem.” He added the Tesla fleet has been great for the Bargersville department, but for police forces with larger coverage areas, range may be an issue.
“It’s come out to save us and the taxpayers a lot more money than what we had originally anticipated,” said Roll of the Tesla fleet.
Last May, Bargersville said its Tesla Model 3 had saved the department $6,755 USD in fuel and maintenance costs from August 2019 to August 2020.
