Here’s hard proof, not only do Tesla Model 3 police cars work, you’d be foolhardy not to switch from your Dodge Charger.
It’s often said the cheapest man ends up spending the most. If you’re a small-town Police chief hellbent on purchasing $25,000 Dodge Chargers for your deputies, you really need to spend half an hour researching a Tesla Model 3 instead. But don’t take my word for it.
Bargersville, IN Police Chief Todd Bertram, an early adopter of the Tesla Model 3 as a police car, shared the running costs of his Model 3 against a traditional Dodge Charger over 13 months and the results are astonishing. So far, he’s saved $6,755 dollars in a little over a year alone.
Here’s the tweet with the breakdown blowing a lot of people’s minds below.
This Tesla Model 3, at $41,000, cost $16,000 more than a Dodge Charger Pursuit. Saving an average of $520 a month compared to the Charger, Bertram is on track to make up that initial difference and overtake the Charger for overall cost of ownership in just 2.5 years.
Bargersville typically uses there cars for six years before selling them off and buying a brand new one.
When presenting his budget to the city and his department for a new police car in 2019, Bertram raised a lot of eyebrows advocating spending $16,000 MORE over a bog-standard Dodge Charger Pursuit. Not everyone is onboard with Tesla EVs, they’re luxury compact cars, a segment that carries a certain reputation.
I’m sure some wondered, “Is this Police Chief just wanting to snow us over so he can ride around in a fancy EV?”
But, Bertram presented the economics that over six years, they’ll save $21,000. And, with these hard numbers, they’re on track to save $28,080 (remaining 4.5 years after the Model 3 overtakes the Charger x $520.)
Keep in mind some variables
This is only one data point and police cars live different levels of wear and tear depending on where they operate. Fremont Police found that out the hard way when they ran out of charge chasing a car on the freeway in their Tesla Model 3.
Bargersville is only 18-square miles, small town USA. The 322 mile range and five hour charging times are suitable for a town that presumably doesn’t see a lot of high-speed chases and use that requires multiple fill-ups a day.
But the numbers don’t lie.
For a police car that goes through maybe one chase, several traffic stops, and a lot of idling a day, a Tesla Model 3 makes alot of sense.
EVs are more simple
With fewer moving parts, the Model 3s maintenance bill can be a godsend for some police departments.
When something goes wrong on a Dodge Charger, it can cost an arm and a leg to get the Charger into fighting form. Whatever that maintenance item on April 20 was, setting them back close to $2,000, that really ate into their cost of ownership.
It potentially goes both ways. A collision in a Tesla Model 3 would tank the overall costs since no ordinary body shop can fix these EVs. Teslas are notorious for high body damage repair bills.
If you’re a small-medium sized town looking to replace your pursuit vehicles, you need to look at a Tesla Model 3.
