Twenty Teslas Make Up South Pasadena’s All-Electric Police Fleet ‹ ColoradoBoulevard.net

South Pasadena Police Department EV (Photo – City of South Pasadena)

On Monday, July 27, 2024, the South Pasadena Police Department became the first law enforcement agency in the nation to completely replace its gasoline-powered vehicles with zero-pollution electric vehicles.

By News Editor

The city’s zero-emission police fleet of 20 new Teslas will rely on a series of new electric vehicle chargers installed at South Pasadena City Hall. Additionally, upon completion of the final electrification project component, City Hall, the police department and the fire station buildings will be supported by a solar-powered, battery-storage system, providing critical resilience in the event of a power outage.

Safe, clean and saves tax money

“This transition reflects the city’s vision for a sustainable future based on both sound financial and environmental stewardship,” said South Pasadena Mayor Evelyn Zneimer. “The City Council fully supports this transition. We will have a 21st century police force that is safe, clean and saves taxpayer dollars. We are excited to work with our regional and business partners to make this a reality.”

“To finish the job of cleaning up the region’s unhealthy smog and protecting our atmosphere, we need to mass adopt vehicles that produce zero emissions while driving,” said Michael Cacciotti, a South Pasadena City Council member and vice chair of the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD). Cacciotti is the lead advocate for the effort.

“By transitioning to these vehicles, the police department has the opportunity to acquire a state-of-the-art fleet,” said South Pasadena Police Chief Brian Solinsky. “This initiative not only provides the safest vehicles for officers and staff, but also results in significant savings on both fuel and maintenance costs.”

The transition is expected to save about $4,000 per year per vehicle in energy costs, plus additional savings on maintenance, such as brakes, oil changes, air filters and more. According to Solinsky, the operating costs of electric vehicles will generally be at least half the per-mile cost of gasoline-powered vehicles.

A key component of the project was the construction of 34 chargers at South Pasadena City Hall. Under the Charge Ready program, Southern California Edison upgraded the local distribution system to provide the higher level of power needed to power the vehicles and installed the underground wiring needed to install the chargers.

Resilient public safety

Clean Power Alliance’s Power Ready Program is providing another important electrification component to the South Pasadena City Hall project through the installation of a renewable solar and battery energy storage system. Stored energy will ensure continuity of operations for essential services during power outages. In addition to installing a solar array canopy over the adjacent parking lot, CPA will reserve a portion of the battery capacity in the event of a power outage, and the batteries will be used daily for grid and energy optimization – participating in demand response events and increasing overall system reliability.

South Pasadena Police Department Electric Vehicles (Photos – City of South Pasadena)

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