Photo: KY3

Tesla Model 3 has joined the fleet of Linn Creek Police Department in Missouri. The Tesla vehicle is expected to last longer than offerings from other manufacturers and make up the difference in cost in one year. At the moment, Model 3 was purchased as part of a pilot program.

The Linn Creek Police Department is excited to welcome a new team member. This time it is an electric vehicle from the industry leader, the Tesla Model 3, which was recently approved by the city council. The new patrol car entered service this Monday to guard public order.

Chief Jeff Christiansen told KY3 that the police department considered several vehicle options before making a decision. At one point, a used car was even considered. “I sat and researched the new Ford Explorer interceptors, the Dodge Chargers. I went to the mayor had some discussions about that, and even looked at purchasing a used car, fixing up what we had,” said Christiansen.

During the discussion, the idea of ​​buying a Tesla car also came up for a number of important reasons. One of the weighty arguments was an extensive manufacturer's warranty on the most important and expensive component—the battery. The Texas manufacturer gives an eight-year or a 120,000-mile warranty, whichever comes first. “It's got an eight-year, 120,000-mile warranty on the battery alone. I just figured we’re putting on 70 miles a day, under 12,000 miles a year, this car would last us a good amount of time, and be in a program pilot. We just figured, we'll see what happens with it,” said Christiansen.

After calculations, it turned out that the Tesla Model 3 is an excellent investment, as the savings in maintenance costs, upkeep, and fuel are very significant. Based on current gas prices, Linn Creek Mayor Jeff Davis expects to make up the difference in this Model 3 purchase within one year.

“It's a great investment for our town. The cost savings as far as the regular maintenance, the upkeep, the fuel savings, it’s approximately about $3,000, more than one an explorer would it be. We’ll probably make that up with current gas prices, we could easily make that up within a year,” said Mayor Davis.

Chief Christiansen also said not to worry about running out of charge in an electric car. Just like a petrol car needs to be filled up, an electric car needs to be charged. “A regular car can run out of gas, an electric car can run out of charge. It's all up to the officer to make sure that the cars are gassed, or charged at the beginning of the shift. We’re not going to run out of charge, we’re going to have priority charging,” he said.

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

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