(NewsNation) — Police departments across the country, including California, are considering shifting their fleet of patrol cars to Tesla electric vehicles, even though the state’s governor may exclude the manufacturer from EV carmakers who can offer tax credits to customers.
Gov. Gavin Newsom is considering offering a $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on his pledge to eliminate the current federal $7,500 federal tax credit offered for electric vehicles. Newsom’s proposal comes at a time when many law enforcement agencies have already invested in Telsa vehicles for their fleets while others are pondering making the move over.
The exclusion of Tesla from the rebate program is reportedly due to a proposed market-share cap aimed at promoting competition within the EV market. According to Straight Arrow News, Tesla currently accounts for more than half of all new electric vehicles sold in California.
The Irvine, California, Police Department has invested nearly $150,000 to add Tesla cyber trucks to its fleet of cruisers. Both the Anaheim and Menlo Park police departments have each spent roughly $50,000 on Tesla vehicles.
Neil Cervenka, the police chief of the Fort Bragg Police Department, said there is nothing wrong with how Tesla vehicles drive but that getting in and out of the vehicles with police gear on isn’t conducive to long shifts. The chief said that many officers experience back issues as well as chronic knee and ankle injuries that are made worse by getting in and out of a smaller vehicle.
The Fort Bragg department has opted for a roomier, less expensive Ford electric truck after finding that getting prisoners in and out of a Tesla car has proven problematic.
However, in one South Carolina police department, Telsa vehicles are preferred.
“These cars are very quick to catch someone so when we need to catch the violator, we can catch them quicker in these cars,” said Chief Ben Ford of the Travelers Rest Police Department, which has been testing the Tesla vehicles for the past year.