This week, South Pasadena will become the first city in the United States to have an all-electric fleet of police vehicles. The South Pasadena Police Department rolled out a new fleet of 20 Tesla vehicles, putting the agency at the forefront of many law enforcement agencies making the bold shift away from gas cruisers and toward zero-emission electric vehicles.
The fleet features 10 Tesla Model Ys to be used for patrol duties and 10 Model 3s for detective and administrative work, which will be supplied by a just-installed bank of electric vehicle chargers at South Pasadena City Hall. In a further push into renewable energy, the city is developing a solar-powered system, also with battery storage, to improve power resilience at City Hall, the Police Station, and the Fire Station.
“This transition shows the city’s vision toward a sustainable future based on both sound fiscal management and environmental stewardship,” said South Pasadena Mayor Evelyn Zneimer. The initiative is expected to save an estimated $4,000 per vehicle annually in energy costs, along with additional savings in maintenance.
Partnerships with Enterprise Fleet Management, Unplugged Performance, and Southern California Edison brought this several-year-old project to life. This project will come out of the city’s pocket for $1.85 million, which will cover the cost of the EV chargers and the lease payments.
South Pasadena Councilmember Michael Cacciotti pointed out that “These police vehicles are specific high emitters due to their high idling time.” The change to electric vehicles is supposed to reduce, at great amounts, emissions of nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide, the key player in global warming.
According to Police Chief Brian Solinsky, the new fleet has improved safety and efficiency since it ensures that the officers are given the safest vehicles while at the same time paring fuel and maintenance costs for the initiative. Unplugged Performance fitted the new 5-star safety-rated Teslas for police use.
A further statement to this commitment is the 34 chargers available at City Hall, courtesy of the Charge Ready program from Southern California Edison, which provided an overhaul of the local distribution system to accommodate the increased power demand of the new fleet.
Regional air quality officials, and partners, such as the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee, and Clean Power Alliance, have commended city efforts as South Pasadena holds the lead. Larry McCallon, the chair of the MSRC, beamed with pride in partnering with South Pasadena on this pioneering project.
This will not only help pave the way toward an all-electric police fleet but also set a fine example for other municipalities in their commitment to a cleaner and more sustainable future. As Mayor Zneimer put it, “We will have a 21st-century police force that is safe, clean, and saves taxpayer dollars.”.
It marks a crucial milestone in the fight against climate change and paves the way for other cities to follow suit. South Pasadena’s trailblazing initiative showcases that this is a possible, sustainable future if partners are right and vision exists.