The City of Cotati in Sonoma County, California, located just  45 miles north of San Francisco, is set to unveil its first all-electric police cruiser on Thursday, September 15.
Cotati will be the first city in Sonoma County to put a fully-equipped electric vehicle (EV) on its streets as a police patrol car. The city chose a Tesla Model Y for the job, which has been the pick of several other police departments across the U.S.
“Cotati is one of the first cities in California to put a fully equipped electric police patrol car into service,” said City of Cotati Mayor Mark Landman in a statement.
“Even with the higher initial costs of purchasing the car, it’s less expensive overall with gas and maintenance savings. We are happy to help lead the way to a healthier gas-free future with electric patrol cars that refuel on electricity from Sonoma Clean Power Evergreen that saves our residents money over the life of the vehicle.”
At a gas price of $3.50 per gallon, the total cost of ownership for Cotati’s Model Y police cruiser is less than the smaller and less expensive gas-powered patrol cars it will replace. In addition, the city also estimates that the residual value of the Model Y at retirement will be higher than that of a gas-guzzling alternative.
The City of Fremont, California, where one of Tesla’s Model Y production facilities is located, has also added several of the electric crossovers to its police fleet.
In addition to transitioning police cruisers (and the rest of the city’s fleet) to EVs, the Cotati City Council is undertaking several other measures to reduce emissions. These include a recent action to prohibit new gas stations in Cotati, switching all municipal electricity use to 100% renewable energy from Sonoma Clean Power Evergreen, and lighting and motor retrofits for energy conservation.
Cotati will unveil its Model Y police cruiser on Thursday, September 15, set for 4pm at La Plaza Park.
