Remember the top cop of the Bargersville, Indiana Police Department who made a move to add Tesla Model 3s in his department’s patrol fleet? Well, it looks like the EVs are serving well.

Police office Todd Bertram was asked on Twitter how his experiment’s been going after he decided to add Tesla Model 3 in the fleet. He replied that the breakeven point will be much sooner than the department had expected. Is this a big win for Tesla or what?

The Tesla Model 3 Police Cars Will Break Even In Just 19 Months!

Todd Bertram has replaced one of the four Dodge Chargers with a Tesla Model 3 in August 2019 and it’s been a happy experience for the Bargersville, Indiana Police Department so far. A Tesla fan asked Todd about his experience with the Model 3 and this is what Bertram had to say: “Better. I think the break even point will be more like 19 months rather than 24 like we planned before.”

Bertram has mentioned that the department will save as much as $6,000 every year on gas alone. The Tesla Model 3 Standard Long Range Plus is a bit more expensive than the Dodge Charger, but the department had predicted it to break even in two years itself.

However, now they are looking at it breaking even five months earlier. This could also be because of the lower upkeep and maintenance costs.

A Model 3 Dressed In Cop Uniform Is An Attention-Seeker

The Indiana Police Department purchased five Model 3s last year and will soon be adding more of them in its fleet. The PD had earlier said that it generally keeps the cars for six years and after working out the math, concluded that they’ll save $20,000 per car after shifting to Model 3s. It looks like they are already reaping the benefits.

Earlier this year, Bertram mentioned that the Model 3 police car became a crowd favorite. Here's what he told IndyStar: “I got a guy for speeding on (Indiana State Road) 37 and all he wanted to talk about was the Tesla.”

He further added that “During that same traffic stop, somebody honks and a guy is hanging out of his window with a phone taking video.” Todd had also said that the switch was done to bring the overhead costs in control and that the whirring motors help in raids and to sneak upon suspects as stealthily as possible. After having the Model 3 in the fleet for almost a year, Bertram seems impressed.

How Automakers Are Trying To Push Their Products to Government and International Agencies

This live example of significant cost savings will lure the other police departments to follow the suit and make the jump to electric vehicles. It’s not just Tesla; even Rivian is trying to draw the attention of the cops (for business purposes only!). Rivian has developed an unusual design for its seats that makes it comfortable for the cops to sit and drive around when carrying their guns and weapon gear. A patent for the same was filed some time back.

Even Fisker launched an off-road package recently for its Ocean SUV. The rendered Ocean had ‘UN’ stickers on it and was pitched as a rescue vehicle. This will certainly invoke interest among various organizations involved in humanitarian activities, thus leading to bulk orders in the long run.

Final Thoughts

This is a big win for Tesla. A single PD itself purchases many cars at a time, so imagine the number when the company will get orders from multiple departments. EVs are also silent, fast, and versatile.

With battery technology improving every day, you can expect EVs to become mainstream police patrolling vehicles in the near future. If you were assigned to pick an electric vehicle for a police department, which one would it be? Let us know in the comments section below.