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The City of Cotati Chief of Police Michael Parish sports California’s first “EPV” (Yes, you read this new three letter acronym for Electric Police Vehicle here first.).
The City of Cotati Chief of Police Michael Parish sports California’s first “EPV” (Yes, you read this new three letter acronym for Electric Police Vehicle here first.).
The City of Cotati unveiled their new electric police Cruiser, a Tesla Model Y, last Thursday at La Plaza Park. This is the first in the planned electrification of the entire municipal fleet. This car is among a very selected few in the entire state and will prove to be more cost effective, saving money while helping to reduce GHG emissions, said Cotati Mayor Mark Landman. As the next step in the City of Cotati’s aggressive measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, on September 15, 2022, the city officially put Sonoma County’s first fully equipped electric police patrol car into service. This follows on the city council’s commitment to greenhouse gas reductions, including recent action to prohibit new gas stations in Cotati, switching all municipal electricity use to Sonoma Clean Power Evergreen 100 percent renewable energy, numerous energy conservation lighting and motor retrofits, and moving the city’s vehicle fleet to all electric.
“Cotati is one of the first cities in California to put a fully equipped electric police patrol car into service. Our police fleet was an obvious place to prioritize, as the old vehicles idle and driven extensively, with an overall efficiency of nine miles per gallon. Even with the higher initial costs of purchasing the car, it’s less expensive overall with gas and maintenance savings. We are happy to help lead the way to a healthier gas-free future with electric patrol cars that refuel on electricity from Sonoma Clean Power Evergreen that saves our residents money over the life of the vehicle,” said City of Cotati Mayor Mark Landman.
The City of Cotati purchased a Tesla Model Y for police patrol use, which is made here in the Bay Area. As older police vehicles age out, new electric cars will be added to the fleet and as of now two more electric vehicles may be purchased this fiscal year for a total of 12 cars, said Cotati Police Chief Michael Parish. Parish continued, saying “we would like to be 100 percent electric in the near future.” Assuming a gas price of $3.50 per gallon, the total cost of ownership is less than the smaller and less expensive police patrol cars that it will replace. In addition to the gas savings, the total cost of ownership is lower because of less frequent brake changes, and no smog testing or any gasoline engine related maintenance. Additionally, the residual value of the vehicle is projected to be significantly higher than the comparable gas vehicle, allowing the city to reinvest more funds back into the community when the vehicle is retired.
The new Tesla’s price tag was $80,000 with all the bells and whistles needed for the police cruiser. The monies come from auctioning off the old cars under their vehicle replacement program. The older vehicles only have a shelf life of five years before they must be replaced, and knowing that patrol cars only average about nine miles to the gallon in city driving, which comes out to about being used on an average of 12,000 miles per year, and with the five years of service life, going fully electric is less costly and cleaner air.
City officials declared that the Tesla has a higher price tag, but it also needs no maintenance such as smog, oil changes, tune-ups and less brake changes. So, some little expenses will show up as air filter, tires and windshield fluids need to be replaced.
Two officers will be assigned to this vehicle on 12-hour shifts. When asked how many hours it takes to fully charge, there was a matter of opinion. Being told by Cotati City Manager Damien O’Bid that “we will never let the battery completely drain. When it gets to 50 percent it will be recharged and that usually takes between two to four hours.” What happens when the electricity blacks out? “There are backups in the police station and city hall so it would never be a problem as far as charging batteries,” said Chief Parish.
Landman continued with challenging other mayors in Sonoma County to join Cotati and commit to electrifying their fleet and powering them with 100 percent renewable energy. They too can save their citizens dollars while reducing GHG emissions and using 100 percent 24/7 renewable power like Sonoma Clean Power’s Evergreen reinvest that money locally rather than having it siphoned away to a multinational petroleum company. Landman stated that when Sonoma County makes the big switch, a challenge can be thrown to Mendocino and Marin Counties to do the same.
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