HALLANDALE BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - The City of Hallandale has purchased several Tesla electric vehicles that will be utilized by the Hallandale Police Department.
The city’s purchase includes 13 new Tesla Y vehicles.
Twelve of those vehicles will be used by detectives while the remaining one is being tested as a patrol vehicle.
“With this purchase, we’re taking a step into the future of Hallandale Beach, which is sustainable both financially and environmentally,” said City Manager Dr. Jeremy Earle. “We’re thrilled to be rolling out the largest deployment of electric police vehicles in the state of Florida, we believe the largest deployment in the United States, and to get these EVs on the road.”
Over the last several years, police departments across the country have been adding Teslas to their patrol fleets.
Other agencies in New York to San Francisco have added one or more electric vehicles to their police force, which makes the City of Hallandale’s purchase the largest roll-out of full-size electric vehicles for police use in the United States.
To make this large purchase a reality, the city utilized a mix of funds, which included federal dollars that were provided by the American Rescue Plan that was signed by President Joe Biden back in March.
While the initial cost of the new Teslas is high compared to traditional internal combustion engine vehicles, the City of Hallandale Beach Vice Mayor Mike Butler said the new vehicles will ultimately save the city money.
“These Tesla police vehicles represent a win-win-win for our police officers, for the City’s residents and for the environment,” said Butler. “Our officers are getting an ideal vehicle for their work, our residents are saving money over traditional police vehicles and can be proud that Hallandale Beach is one of the first Police Departments in the country to go electric. And finally, as a beach community directly affected by rising sea levels, these cars will reduce the city’s contribution to climate change.”
Electric vehicles have been shown to reduce costs when compared to gas costs; a figure of $2,750 compared to $12,000.
According to the city, the resale value of the EVs was a factor in their decision to go electric because the Teslas will be almost 1.8 times as valuable as the gas option when the city auctions the vehicles when they’re at the end of life at the police department.
The decision to go green was also a part of the city’s 50 by 30 Climate Action Plan.
In 2021, the City of Hallandale beach joined the Race to Zero by committing to reducing greenhouse gasses by 50% by 2030 and becoming net-zero by 2050.
In the city’s first Climate Action Plan, it outlines various ways that people can work to make the city a cleaner, safer and healthier community.
The purchase of 12 Teslas and 49 hybrid vehicles is set to help the city reduce its fleet-related emissions by about 600 metric tons, which is equivalent to 117 homes worth of annual electricity.
“As mayor, I understand how important each and every step we take to reduce our carbon footprint is in addressing global warming,” said Hallandale Beach Mayor Joy Cooper. “Adding police cars to our green vehicle fleet with the goal to fully go green is in progress. We have worked with our chief and officers to ensure these vehicles are not only green but will provide the performance needed to protect our officers and community.”
Charging stations for the Teslas will be installed at the police stations’ parking lots.
In a partnership with Florida Power and Light, there will be four dual Level 2 charging stations that will be installed at no extra construction cost to the city. The chargers will be connected to existing backup power, which will ensure that these vehicles could be used in the event of a hurricane or power outage.
The city currently has nine Level 2 chargers on city property, which the Teslas could also be charged at.
To help alleviate emergency fast-charging or take-home charging, the City of Hallandale Beach is planning to allow police officers the option to utilize the Tesla Supercharge network to charge their vehicles up to a certain dollar amount per fiscal year.
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