The Department of Safety and Security (DoSS) at Dartmouth College is set to modernize its vehicle fleet by incorporating electric vehicles (EVs), starting with the introduction of four Tesla Model Y units in the coming weeks and months. This transition, which will see over half of the current fleet replaced, marks a significant step towards sustainability and efficiency in campus operations.
Keiselim Montás, the director of DoSS, announced the department’s plan through an email statement, indicating a move away from the fleet’s end-of-life vehicles. “The current fleet is at its life’s end,” Montás wrote, suggesting a potential future shift to an entirely electric fleet.
Lieutenant Bradford Sargent, who spearheaded the EV transition initiative, began exploring the possibility of switching to electric vehicles in late 2021 after noticing other police departments’ success with the Tesla Model Y. “I thought, for our purposes here on campus, that may be something that I’d like to take an exploratory look at,” Sargent said to The Dartmouth.
The transition was supported by insights from two police departments already utilizing Tesla vehicles and Dartmouth’s Sustainability Office. The office connected Sargent with the transportation student interest group within the first-year Sustainability Action Program (SAP), where Caroline Mahony ’25 and her peers were already considering the electrification of campus vehicles.
Mahony highlighted the suitability of electric vehicles for DoSS’s operational needs, particularly for city driving characterized by frequent starts and stops. “Electric vehicles are optimized for start and stop driving,” she said, noting the efficiency of electric heat pumps for vehicle heating and cooling.
The decision to select the Tesla Model Y was influenced by its operational capacity, safety ratings, all-wheel drive for winter conditions, and Tesla’s ability to deliver the vehicles promptly. “The Tesla Model Y had the right capacity,” Mahony explained, emphasizing the importance of interior space for DoSS’s equipment needs.
Collaboration with the Dartmouth Energy Alliance and analysis of the department’s vehicle usage data helped identify the Tesla Model Y as the most suitable option, despite initial reservations about its cost and luxury status. The initiative also considered Dartmouth’s existing charging infrastructure, with plans to dedicate a charging station for the new DoSS Teslas.
This electrification initiative is seen as part of a broader trend towards electric vehicle adoption in America. Mahony expressed pride in the student group’s role in facilitating this significant change. “I feel like coming in freshman year, you don’t know that you can make a difference like [this],” she said, highlighting the collaborative spirit at Dartmouth that enabled this achievement.
