A Michigan City's Police Bets on Tesla To Fight Crime

A police department in western Michigan is planning to use an electric sedan made by Tesla Inc TSLA to tackle crime, the Detroit News reported Sunday.

What Happened: Detectives working at the Department of Public Safety in Holland, Michigan picked a Model 3 over both the Nissan Motor Co., Ltd’s NSANY Leaf, and General Motor Company’s GM Chevrolet Bolt vehicles, according to the Detroit News.

The $49,000 vehicle would be used to drive to crime scenes or conduct interviews, the city’s finance director Tim Vagle told the News.

Test drives, warranty, and resale value were the reasons why the Model 3 was chosen over other electric vehicles, Vagle said. 

“Yes, there’s a higher front end cost on this, but the fuel savings alone is generally pretty significant,” said Holland’s Mayor Nathan Bocks.

Why It Matters: Tesla’s upcoming Cybertruck is also gaining popularity with police forces all around the world, with Ciudad Valles, Mexico ordering 15 such vehicles in December last year.

The police force in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is also looking to order the pickup for its use. It even tweeted a photo of a would-be vehicle with its logo emblazoned on the side last year.

شرطة دبي - 2020 - Dubai Police #CyberTruck pic.twitter.com/V9rMPLgjS4

— Dubai Policeشرطة دبي (@DubaiPoliceHQ) November 26, 2019

Tesla vehicles have been used by police departments in Fremont, California, where its factory is based and also in Luxembourg and Switzerland, according to Electrek. 

This year, the police department in Bargersville, Indiana claimed that it expects to save $20,600 by the third year after shifting to a Tesla Model 3.

The department’s car, which was almost a year old in July, is expected to save them $7,000 each year in fuel alone.

Price Action: Tesla shares traded nearly 0.3% lower at $441 in the pre-market session on Monday.