Bargersville PD switching to Tesla instead of Chargers

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  • hoosierdoc

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    Wow. They also want to add solar panels for “green” charging. Wth?!

    thoughts on how this will go?

    The Bargersville Police Department would like to present the newest addition to our patrol fleet. In an effort to save taxpayer money and promote green alternatives to our fleet, we have purchased a 2019 Tesla Model 3. This Tesla Model 3 is a fully equipped patrol vehicle capable of all aspects of Police use. The Model 3 is projected to save over $20,000 during the lifespan of the vehicle compared to a patrol use Dodge Charger. The Tesla Model 3 will be phased in to our fleet eventually replacing the Chargers. When you see the car around town stop and take a look! Be sure to tune in to local news stations for a story on the Bargersville Police Departments Tesla Model 3. Tesla #tesla #teslamodel3 #model3 #copcar #policecar#police #goinggreen #bargersville #elonmusk


    Are you interested in a career with the Bargersville Police Department? The application process will be opening October 1 through October 31. More details about the application process will be posted to our website and Facebook soon!

    nearest bb&t
     

    hoosierdoc

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    Even for smalltown USA, a Tesla is absolutely not up to the task of heavy-duty use for police work.

    nope. I’d love to see projection of down time from switching vehicles and maintenance costs added in. To have one charger run 24 hours a day it takes one charger. To have one Tesla running 24hrs a day it probably takes 3
     

    KellyinAvon

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    Aren’t those the ones notorious for bursting into flames?
     

    MarkC

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    Interesting that a small town is trying this, I didn't take the good people of Bargersville for being on the leading edge of saving the planet by driving electric cars. I, too, am interested in seeing how a Tesla will hold up to heavy LE utilization. At least it looks like they are starting with one and seeing how it works out.

    And, for the sakes of the officers involved, I hope Tesla has figured out the car-burning-up-for-no-good-reason problem. :):
     

    T.Lex

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    Yeah, this seems like a singularly bad idea for a small town.

    Plus, isn't that buyin the retail cost? Wouldn't there need to be some serious interior work to get it into cop-car mode? And how is insurance cheaper on the Tesla, which costs more to buy, more to fix when something breaks, and is more likely to burst into flame?

    Obviously, I has questions.
     

    MarkC

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    Yeah, this seems like a singularly bad idea for a small town.

    Plus, isn't that buyin the retail cost? Wouldn't there need to be some serious interior work to get it into cop-car mode? And how is insurance cheaper on the Tesla, which costs more to buy, more to fix when something breaks, and is more likely to burst into flame?

    Obviously, I has questions.

    Good point; I didn't catch that. Police departments across the state can get Dodge Chargers, Chevy Tahoes, and other police vehicles on the cheap through the Indiana Department of Administration's Quantity Purchasing Agreement (QPA). As far as I know, I don't think Tesla is on the QPA yet.
     

    indykid

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    One of the few pluses for the average driver is an electric never requires an oil change. Regen braking saves on brake pads.

    Granted electric things have a habit at quitting without notice, but I applaud this long term test vehicle as a great way to see if an electric vehicle can stand up to police work. With all the time many police vehicles spend idling (using fuel doing nothing) and idling electric uses no "fuel". Yes both will use power of some sort keeping the car cool in the summer and warm in the winter, but I am sure advantage is to electric.

    It will be interesting to see what would happen in the event of a high speed chase if the battery will still have enough power to get back to the charger (Pun intended).

    Granted Bargersville is not as likely as Indy to have a chase situation, but it will be a great test as to the future of a vehicle that still requires use of electric generating plants that use oil or natural gas or coal since atoms are ​pure evil.
     

    Alamo

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    2017 Tesla Model 3 Long-Term Road Test

    From the April 2019 Update:
    Our long-term 2017 Tesla Model 3 now has an electronic fart sound generator. And that means the most significant thing that happened in the past two months with our Model 3 had little to do with actually driving it. In December last year, our car received an "Emissions Testing Mode," which is a fancy name for an electronic whoopee cushion built into the Tesla's entertainment system. When enabled, you can select from an array of fart sounds and how they're triggered, whether it's every time you hit the turn signal or manually with a button on the steering wheel. It's endlessly amusing.

    Apparently you can also play Atari and other games on the entertainment system (when parked).

    I took a quick look at other comments and I believe they are experiencing slightly reduced battery capacity every month.


    My boss has a Tesla, I believe it is a Model 3. One plus to the electric drive: there is no lag when you step on the...er...gas? electrons?...throttle? It accelerates instantly, and the torque is really good.

    On second thought, I think she has the Model S. Not sure.
     
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    T.Lex

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    It makes more sense to adopt hybrids for the non-chase vehicles. Carmel did that a long time ago with some of the City fleet. I'm not sure how many police vehicles are for manager-level use, but that's where I think the savings could be found.

    "Active-duty" vehicles - to me, as a taxpayer - should be able to catch up to bad guys and withstand maybe crashing into them or more realistically, getting crashed into.

    Seriously, it seems like state troopers are more at risk when they have someone pulled over than when they're trying to catch up to them. A Tesla on the shoulder seems like aluminum foil compared to a Charger or something like that.
     

    Alamo

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    So who is going to periodically FOIA (or whatever Indiana calls it) the purchase, maintenance, and repair records for both their existing Chargers and the electric horse? Put up a website and keep a running tally of cost comparisons.
     
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