Photo: Jordan Lawrence

Tesla Model 3 is now in service with the Cayce Police Department in South Carolina. The car was donated to be the city's first electric police vehicle.

The Palmetto State police department announced on October 7 that it had been gifted a 2021 Tesla Model 3. The car will hit the road as the first electric vehicle deployed by the police department in the state, Chief Chris Cowan said at a press conference, according to the Lexington Chronicle (via Drive Tesla).

“The innovation that you see there behind you in that vehicle is not new,” Cowan said during the presentation. “It’s not something that’s new to this country, and there are multiple police departments around this country that are deploying them, but in South Carolina, we are the first agency to deploy this technology.”

With the Tesla Model 3, the police department will keep up with technology and reduce usage costs, Cowan explained. The savings come from low vehicle charging costs and almost no maintenance costs. Chef explained that most agencies that implement electric vehicles save an average of $6,000 through reduced gas and maintenance costs.

“There are agencies in this country that are saving millions of dollars by deploying the vehicles in annual maintenance costs and long-term fuel efficiency costs and in costs associated with vehicle chases,” Cowan said.

The chief explained that Tesla cars have better acceleration than gasoline-powered cars. In addition, they can drive longer than their polluting counterparts because they have better response times, which helps reduce the number of chases.

The savings for Cayce PD will be greatly increased as it did not incur any costs to get the car on the road. The car and its wrapping were donated by Cayce businesses, 212 Motors and Signarama, respectively, and Lexington County School District 2 already has a charging station at the Innovation Center.

“This vehicle cost us nothing. Absolutely nothing. It's exciting,” Cowan said, thanking the two businesses.

Cayce Mayor Elise Partin stressed that it is important for the city, through efforts such as the new electric vehicle, to demonstrate its commitment to protecting the environment and building trust between the police force and the communities they serve.

“If we can get kids to connect more and more and more and know that our officers are great people, that they care, that they are there when they need help, you know, that just keeps making a long-term impact,” she said. A colorful police car should help make that important connection.

© 2022, Eva Fox | Tesmanian. All rights reserved.

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