California City Launches Nation’s First All-EV Police Fleet

A California city became the first in the nation to launch an all-electric fleet of police cars on Monday.

South Pasadena spent nearly $2 million on the vehicles, which includes 10 Tesla Model Ys for patrol and 10 Tesla Model 3s for detective and administrative work, Politico reported. The city also installed chargers at City Hall and will set up “a solar powered system with battery storage adding critical power resilience in the event of an outage” at City Hall, the police station and the fire station, a press release reads.

“This transition reflects the city’s vision of a sustainable future based on both sound fiscal management and environmental stewardship,”  South Pasadena Mayor Evelyn Zneimer said in the press release.

The city expects the zero-emission fleet will save them $4,000 per car each year in reduced energy costs, according to the press release.

South Pasadena received $500,000 in grants from the South Coast Air Quality Management District and $650,000 worth of work from Southern California Edison, according to Politico. Clean Power Alliance provided solar panels and batteries.

In 2022, California implemented a ban on the sale of non-electric vehicles by 2035. The state’s Advanced Clean Fleets rule requires government vehicles to be transitioned to electric vehicles starting in 2024, but does not apply to emergency vehicles including police cars.

The city of South Pasadena and the South Pasadena Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.