A Southern California police fleet is nation’s first to go all-electric

The nation’s first all-electric police car fleet launched Monday in the Southern California city of South Pasadena, according to a news release from the city manager.

The city bought 20 Teslas, installed chargers at City Hall and is putting up solar panels and a backup battery system to reduce emissions and save money, according to the office of City Manager Arminé Chaparyan.

The initiative will serve as a test of the reliability and performance of electric vehicles in a critical public safety role. If successful, it could be another pathway to reduce pollution from vehicles, which are the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in California and a primary target in the state’s plans to reduce emissions 48 percent from 1990 levels by 2030.

Police cars — often left idling with gas engines powering emergency lights, radios and other gear — contribute significantly to emissions, according to the news release.

The new cars — 10 Tesla Model Ys for patrol and 10 Model 3s for detective and administrative duties — will reduce nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.

“This is important, particularly in the Los Angeles area which still has the most unhealthful air in the nation,” said Michael Cacciotti, a member of both the South Pasadena City Council and the South Coast Air Quality Management District, in the release.

California’s Advanced Clean Fleets rule, which requires public agencies to start transitioning their fleets to zero-emission alternatives this year, exempts police cars and other emergency vehicles, but Cacciotti said he hopes the city’s switch will prompt other police departments in the state to do the same.

Fremont, California, also has some Teslas in its police fleet as does Falmouth, Massachusetts, according to news reports .

South Pasadena expects to save $4,000 per car each year on energy costs, along with expected savings from not having to maintain gas-powered engines.

Police have been hesitant about EVs because of concerns about “range, potential inability to charge when the grid goes down, and worries that the technology is new and unproven,” the release states.

To try to address those drawbacks, the project includes 34 EV chargers at South Pasadena City Hall plus solar panels and battery storage in case the grid fails.

The city spent nearly $2 million on the cars. It received $500,000 in grants from the South Coast Air Quality Management District and $650,000 worth of work from utility Southern California Edison, plus solar panels and batteries at no cost from electricity provider Clean Power Alliance.

The police department has contracted with fleet management company Standard Fleet to maintain the cars and track costs.