Bridgewater Town Council approved a decision to purchase a new Tesla electric police car at their most recent meeting.
Mayor David Mitchell says the Bridgewater Police Service was in need of new vehicles this year and after reviewing financial details council believes the EV patrol car will save the town around $5,000 annually when compared to a traditional gas patrol car.
“We looked at communities with similar climates to ours that have made the switch to EV patrol cars and they report annual savings of around $5,000 in addition to EVs lasting a few years longer than their gas counterparts,” said Mitchell.
The EV selected for purchase was a Tesla Model 3 and Mitchell says it was selected as it was the only EV suitable for police use that could be delivered within a reasonable timeframe.
The car has not been ordered as of yet as the town needs to finalize some administrative details. Mitchell says they plan to have the order placed in the next few weeks.
Assuming that takes place once the Tesla arrives it will require some work in order to be suitable for daily police use. The town hopes to have the Tesla fully outfitted and operational by this summer.
Bridgewater Police Service Deputy Cheif Danny MacPhee says his department is excited about the announcement and all of their research indicates the Model 3 should be an effective police vehicle.
Bridgewater believes they are the first community in Atlantic Canada to deploy an EV for police patrols, although many other police forces have EVs in their fleets for non-patrol-related work.
I’m pretty excited that @TownBridgewater council agreed last night to purchase a @Tesla police car, one of the first in Atlantic Canada! Our data shows that this will cost less over its life than a conventional one. The future is green! Note:Photo is not our car but a stock photo pic.twitter.com/fizQRzM9rO
— Mayor David Mitchell (@MayorMitchellNS) February 15, 2022
Although the Tesla was purchased in part due to the savings it offers Mitchell says the town opted to only purchase one as a type of test. “With the goal set for all vehicles sold to be electric by 2035 federally we knew we would eventually have to start making changes but we wanted to see for ourselves how accurate the reports we’ve seen from other communities are for ourselves.”
In total Town Council approved $143,000 for the purchase and outfitting of two police cruisers, one of which is the Model 3. The Model 3 will cost around $15,000 more than the traditional cruiser but will save around $25,000 if it operates for five years and more if it can continue to operate beyond that time.
