The Eden Prairie Police Department is piloting a fully electric vehicle as part of its patrol fleet, which is now officially in service.

The 2021 Tesla Model Y will be tested for 100,000 miles and continually evaluated for overall performance. This effort continues the City’s pursuit of a more efficient vehicle fleet, aligning with the Sustainable Eden Prairie initiative and Climate Action Plan goal of communitywide carbon neutrality by 2050.

Police patrol vehicles are one of the most heavily used vehicles in a city fleet and because of the specialized needs of a police department, they are one of the least likely to be considered when converting to electric. With Eden Prairie’s Climate Action Plan goal in mind, an internal work group researched the potential use of an electric vehicle as a patrol car, which resulted in the purchase of the Model Y.

Fully electric vehicles often have a higher purchase cost than internal combustion engine models. However, they also have lower lifecycle operating costs due to the elimination of gasoline consumption, and fewer mechanical parts for repair and maintenance. An analysis comparing the Model Y to the City’s standard Dodge Charger patrol vehicle showed a slight lifecycle cost savings along with a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Police Chief Matt Sackett said, “The EPPD is excited to deploy our first fully electric patrol car this week, which will be used for traffic enforcement and various other patrol functions. Based on our research, as well as anecdotes from police departments across the country that have started using them, we anticipate a high level of performance and low maintenance costs from our Tesla Model Y.”

The City of Eden Prairie began converting to hybrid vehicles more than a decade ago. Among its 129 light-duty vehicles, there are currently two plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and 10 hybrids in use by various departments throughout the City, including Chevrolet Volts, Ford Fusions, Interceptors, Escapes and Explorers, a Toyota Prius and several RAV4s. The City has also installed charging stations available for public use at City facilities, with more coming soon.

“Eden Prairie’s leadership in sustainability goes back nearly 20 years when former mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens, who attended the inaugural Sundance Summit Mayors’ Gathering on Climate Protection, established the City’s Conservation Commission — now known as the Sustainability Commission — and introduced Eden Prairie’s first initiative to increase energy efficiency and reduce the City’s carbon footprint,” said Mayor Ron Case. “It has been my honor to continue these efforts and oversee the establishment of the City’s Climate Action Plan, which has led to further electrification of the City’s vehicle fleet and additional amenities to serve the growing number of our residents and visitors with electric vehicles.”

The Tesla Model Y is the City’s first fully electric vehicle. The squad car pilot will inform Eden Prairie’s future decisions around the use of fully electric fleet vehicles, and serve as a model for other cities, or perhaps even inspire more residents to consider electric when planning their next vehicle purchases. A great place to start researching electric vehicles is the Drive Electric Minnesota Buying Guide.

Learn more about Eden Prairie’s sustainability initiatives at edenprairie.org/SustainableEP.