South Pasadena unveils first ever all-electric police fleet

SOUTH PASADENA, Calif. - South Pasadena unveiled the city's all-electric police fleet and charging infrastructure, becoming the nation's first law enforcement agency to completely replace its gasoline-powered vehicles with electric vehicles.

The city's zero-emission police fleet of 20 new Teslas will rely on a bank of new electric vehicle chargers installed at South Pasadena City Hall.

A news conference was held Monday at South Pasadena City Hall to display the fleet vehicles.

"This transition reflects the city's vision of a sustainable future based on both sound fiscal management and environmental stewardship," South Pasadena Mayor Evelyn Zneimer said. "We will have a 21st Century police force that is safe, clean and saves taxpayer dollars."

According to city officials, the transition is expected to save about $4,000 a year per vehicle on energy costs.

"Switching to these vehicles offers the Police Department the opportunity to acquire a cutting-edge vehicle fleet," South Pasadena Police Chief Brian Solinsky said. "This initiative not only ensures the safest vehicles for officers and staff but also leads to substantial reductions in both fuel and maintenance costs."

To make the switch, Enterprise Fleet Management assisted the city in acquiring 10 Tesla Model Ys as patrol vehicles and 10 Tesla Model 3s for detective and administrative duties.

Regional air quality officials applauded the switch.

"Finishing the job of cleaning up the region's unhealthy smog and protecting our atmosphere will require wholesale adoption of vehicles that produce no emissions while driving," said South Pasadena Councilmember and South Coast Air Quality Management District vice chair Michael Cacciotti.

"We have been working on this for over a decade. We finally got it right and the future for municipalities across the country is clear. Partnering is the way to get big ideas done. Our city is helping to make that a reality today."

A key component of the project was the construction of 34 chargers at South Pasadena City Hall. Southern California Edison upgraded its local distribution system to supply the higher level of power needed to energize the vehicles, according to city officials.

"Southern California Edison is committed to enabling California's efforts to achieve a clean energy future and improve air quality in the communities we serve," said Jill C. Anderson, executive vice president and COO for SCE.

More information is available at standardfleet.com.