BOULDER CITY, Nev. (KTNV) — Boulder City Police Department has announced its plans to replace aging patrol vehicles with a new Electric Vehicle pilot program.
BCPD released a statement on Wednesday on the 23 patrol vehicles, each dating somewhere between 1999 through 2015, that need to be replaced.
Since the waitlist for traditional, gas-powered police patrol cars is about 9-12 months, BCPD has determined that repairs for these vehicles are no longer cost-effective.
“The initial price on the electric vehicles is slightly higher than a traditional police interceptor, but fuel and maintenance savings over time make the true cost to own much less than a new Ford Interceptor,” said City Manager Taylour Tedder.
The Fleet Management Team determined that replacement is the safest and most fiscally responsible option.
The press release reveals that BCPD is using a small portion of City-Council-approved funds from the American Recovery Plan Act to purchase five EVs, including:
• Two Tesla Model Y
• Two Tesla Model 3
• One Ford Mustang Mach-E
“Because these cars are equipped with 360-degree cameras, the City won’t need to spend as much outfitting the cars with cameras,” Tedder said. “Our objective is two-fold: the safety of our officers and to make sure all available officers are on the roads and visible to our residents.”
Chief Shea says he has also done quite a bit of homework on the e-Vehicles, talking to officers and other police chiefs across the country about their experiences.
“This pilot program means that we can do an in-depth look at the EVs and determine if they are a good fit for our department,” said Boulder City Police Chief Tim Shea.
The City has not put a timeline on the pilot project at this time, though they say there are plans to move vehicles around to explore other EV applications within the City.
BCPD says the need to replace the aging fleet became even more critical in April when a patrol car on the scene of an accident on I-11 was destroyed by a distracted driver.
“Thankfully, the officer jumped for safety just in time,” said Chief Shea. “Accidents happen, and when they do, it can impact our ability to keep officers out in the field.”
