Green Bay’s Police Teslas Cost Under $500 a Year to Run. Now They’re Doubling the Fleet.

Green Bay’s police department is doubling down on electric patrol cars after its first two Teslas turned out to be shockingly cheap to run.

The Green Bay Common Council just approved buying two more Tesla Model Y patrol vehicles, which will double the department’s electric fleet. The city’s finance committee signed off on the purchase back on June 9, picking up two 2026 Model Y units for a combined $89,390, or about $44,700 each.

The decision came after Police Chief Chris Davis showed the council real numbers from the department’s first two Model Ys, which have been running in the traffic safety unit for the past two years. Those numbers were pretty striking. The pilot vehicles cost less than $500 a year each to keep on the road, and according to Davis, the only maintenance those cars needed in two years was the occasional windshield wiper replacement.

That low upkeep comes down to the basics of how EVs work. No combustion engine means no oil changes, no transmission flushes, and a lot less brake wear thanks to regenerative braking. A typical gas-powered cruiser, by comparison, can run anywhere from $8,000 to $12,000 a year just in fuel and mechanical repairs.

The pilot also showed the Model Y’s battery can handle all the power-hungry gear cops need running constantly, like radar systems, in-car computers, and light bars, without needing the engine to idle nonstop to keep everything charged.

Green Bay isn’t the only department making this switch either. Somerset Police Department in western Wisconsin says it saved more than $80,000 per vehicle over its lifecycle after adding a Model Y cruiser, and Bargersville, Indiana saw roughly $80,000 a year in fuel savings across its fleet of 13 Tesla cruisers.

The new Green Bay Model Ys will get the standard police package and head out on active patrol later this summer.