The first all-electric police fleet hits the streets of the California city

A California police department has gone all-electric and ditched all gas-powered vehicles as it rolled out its all-electric fleet.

“The city of South Pasadena celebrated its new fleet of police vehicles Monday, becoming the first city in the country to go all-electric.” CBS News he reported, noting that the effort began with the city council ten years ago.

(Video credit: KCAL News)

According to a press release, the fleet consists of 20 Teslas, including 10 Model Ys and 10 Model 3s. The transition is expected to save about $4,000 a year per vehicle, officials said.

The SPPD “became the first law enforcement agency in the country to completely replace its gas vehicles with clean, electric vehicles,” the city said.

“This transition reflects the city's vision of a sustainable future based on both fiscal and environmental stewardship,” Mayor Evelyn Zneimer said in a statement.

“These police cars have been meticulously designed with a focus on safety, efficiency and fiscal responsibility,” said South Pasadena Police Chief Brian Solinsky.

“Projects like this will inspire others to take steps toward clean energy,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger. “The South Pasadena Police Department is really, really the gold standard.”

Additionally, 34 new electric vehicle chargers were installed at South Pasadena City Hall along with a “solar power system with battery storage.”

#CleanEnergyFuture The city of South Pasadena unveiled the country's first all-electric vehicle #police car fleet today, in association with SCE's Charge Ready program (https://t.co/OSMPm0UD6h) on the new charging infrastructure to support @SouthPasPDthe innovative fleet of @Tesla cars pic.twitter.com/tbYIxI8gNW

— SCE (@SCE) July 30, 2024

“Finishing the job of cleaning up the region's unhealthy smog and protecting our atmosphere will require wholesale adoption of zero-emission vehicles while driving,” South Pasadena Councilman Michael Cacciotti said in a statement. “We've been working on this for more than a decade. We finally got it right, and the future is clear for municipalities across the country. Partnership is the way to make big ideas happen. Our city is helping make it happen today “.

“Switching to these vehicles gives the police department the opportunity to acquire a fleet of state-of-the-art vehicles,” Solinsky said in a statement. “This initiative not only ensures safer vehicles for officers and staff, but also results in substantial reductions in both fuel and maintenance costs.”

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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida, where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.

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