“We believe that time will show that through fuel savings, maintenance cost and resale value, this car will be neutral for the citizens of Nitro,” Mayor Dave Casebolt told WCHS.
He told WCHS the car can travel 500 miles in electricity worth $ 18, while his other police cruisers need about $ 90 of fuel to cover the same distance.
“The savings, we estimate, will be about $ 5,000 a year per vehicle,” Police Chief Chris Fleming told WCHS.
Nitro’s police department has installed a Tesla charging station outside the building and the department’s policy is to keep the vehicle charged at least 50% at all times, so it will always be ready to patrol. .
The city has also bought two other patrol cars this year, according to its Facebook post: a Ford Interceptor Hybrid and a regular Ford Interceptor.
He plans to compare the three vehicles over a year and decide which provides the best benefit in terms of costs.