The Windham County Sheriff’s Office deployed the first all-electric law enforcement (LE) vehicle in Vermont back in 2020 - specifically a Tesla Model 3 AWD Long Range. Admittedly, it was a stab in the dark for us and a pilot project during a time that we needed cars and could not buy “the usuals.”

Through the six years we’ve had it, broad strokes, I am incredibly pleased with it in a law enforcement setting, but there are some objective things I point out when I get calls from other law enforcement agencies (LEAs).

Charging Infrastructure

Vermont has a good infrastructure statewide which is a pro. But an agency needs to have regular access to its charging infrastructure. 

Take Home Cars

Cars parked at PD

Agencies with take-home cars need to consider how to charge at their employees homes and reimbursement to employees. GMP offered residential and commercial programs a few years ago that are worth considering; residential programs came with caveats that might not be suitable for emergency response vehicles.    Agencies should consider telemetrics through vehicle provider – Tesla has Fleet API - to track charging costs. GM has OnStar, Ford has Ford Pro. Green Mountain Power (GMP) has programs for tracking charging as well. I imagine most companies have an API.

If not take-home cars, I would strongly encourage installation of a Level 2 charger at the police department per car. As the Electric Vehicles (EV) owners know, the car needs some down time to charge. Agencies without take home cars usually have a rotation of vehicle use, so no single car is running 24/7; agencies who don’t do this usually find higher maintenance costs and turnover/burnout of vehicles.

One of the most problematic costs an agency faces with vehicle acquisition is up fitting (installation of lights, consoles, barriers, etc.). A lot of that cost is labor. 

I would discourage any LEA from pursuing Level 3 chargers. Aside from expensive for install, the rule of thumb: the faster it charges, the worse it is for the battery’s health. Level 1’s would be ideal to maximize battery health, but operationally impractical for a full charge. Level 2’s balance the speed vs health factors in a pragmatic way (contingent on agency needs/resources/operations). 

The State of Vermont needs to invest in charging infrastructure in key places for government entities to adopt EVs reliably. Places that we don’t currently have reliable charging infrastructure that law-enforcement needs it:

·      Correctional facilities

·      Vermont Police Academy

·      Courthouses.

These should be Level 2, or if cost prohibitive, Level 1.

Maintenance

The maintenance cost on an EV is surprisingly low. Comparatively, we spent approx $1,500/year on maintenance for a new Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) car (excluding tires/inspections but including lube/oil/filters, brakes, wheel bearings, etc). Toward about 5-year-,old cars, we were averaging $4500/year in maintenance. The exhaustive list of maintenance on our Tesla in six years:

- replace the cloth undercarriage aero shield cover with a plastic one: $205

- replace drivers side camera (warranty)

- replace front drive unit oil pump (warranty)

- replaced wiring harness: $123

- replaced rear tail light due to water intrusion - ~$100; we did it ourselves

- replaced the 12V accessory battery.  

Access to a service center is a consideration - in Windham, we are almost exactly in the middle of three: Latham, NY (Albany area), Springfield, MA, and Natick MA. All are ~50-60 miles away. We've had ours go to Latham once for warranty work. We almost had to send the car to a service center for the replacement of the 12V accessory battery due to the Frunk emergency override wires getting stuck behind the bumper cover during upfitting. The wires being stuck wasn't Tesla's fault (though if I ever come across the engineer that thought it was a good idea to dangle two wires behind a bumper cover and recommend people apply a 9v or 12v to pop the frunk without a mechanical override, I'll let them know that was dumb). With some Vermont ingenuity, we were able to jump the car which saved a flatbed ride.

We learned that the tires need to be "Road Force Balanced." There is a cost associated with this - I'd encourage agencies to consider if this is a need for the Make/Model and if it is, buy an extra set of rims for your seasonal tire changes.

Fuel

Once upon a time when we tracked it, an ICE car was costing approximately $0.32-$0.37/mile for fuel costs on average for similar usage. This was back in 2021, when fuel prices were ~$2.41 per gallon. EV was $0.05-$0.07/ mile. It is far cheaper to charge on our own infrastructure than market infrastructure. Our EV average included some Supercharger pricing in its average. Based on regular usage, I charge for approximately 1 to 3 hours a day. 

Three biggest draws of energy: driving, heat, A/C. With our mountainous terrain, hills eat mileage perception quicker but suitable for an 8-12 hour shift. Idling (a common LE use, with or without lights on) is insignificant. Running idle, with full lights on for approximately four hours cost 10% of battery life on a September day. HVAC speaks for itself - if you leave the heat/AC at max, it will drain it faster. Unlike traditional LE vehicles, our Tesla has kept the car quite comfortable. Driving on the interstate uses more electricity than driving on local or State highways (with a similar correlation to ICE vehicles).

There’s a tried-and-true paradigm in law-enforcement where we “gas up” a car when it’s below half a tank. With EV’s in law-enforcement, the paradigm shifts: you charge anytime you can. With regular access to charging infrastructure, it was rare that I would go below 10% of my day's beginning state of charge for that day. Most days, I keep the battery at 80% (unless I know I'm going long/far away). 

LE Operations

Consideration #1: To people who want their LEA to get an EV, my first encouragement: don't try to force an EV on the agency.

If you believe in it, which I do, work with your powers that be to raise the funds to do it as a pilot project IN ADDITION TO the regular budget and understand the deployment within your agency. Find grants, or supporting partners. While I never belittle the cost taxpayers bear, recognizing the unintended consequences that the professional leaders of your law enforcement agency likely understand could leave you with a greater expense. Richmond had an EV for less than three years - and all in, I suspect the town took a loss when they parted ways with the vehicle. For a town with one chief and one officer, I doubt they have enough vehicles to deal with the times an EV is not practical for law enforcement. 

I say this because your agency understands nuances they need to deal with where EVs are objectively problematic in law-enforcement. Montpelier PD does not have a correctional facility within Washington county. Taking a person has been arrested to the nearest correctional center starts to affect the operational abilities of the agency. 24/7 Police Departments have had times where they’ve needed a car to exceed a 12-hour shift. I'm aware of times where a car had to be ran for 24 hours straight. We have not tested our Tesla this way, but I can say we would need to charge in between. While potentially a use for a level three charger, it means needing the resources to commit to that car charging. That is problematic when agencies don't have the personnel, the vehicles, the time, the money, etc. 

Consideration #2: Specifically to law-enforcement leaders, and personnel: you want EV’s. Each agency will be different for a variety of reasons. While they are not the solution for every problem, most of our tools are also not the solution for every problem. Law-enforcement leaders are incredible at adapting to dynamic problems, especially in crisis. The biggest fear I hear in law-enforcement is what you do when the vehicle runs out of its charge - and my usual retort is, “the same thing as when your vehicle runs out of fuel: fill it up.” The paradigm shift seems to be the hardest conversation to have, even when it’s not that difficult. It requires a thoughtful, learning attitude. However, I'll never dismiss the hesitation of a law enforcement leader on this issue; what is expected of them is that their system is ironclad. Considering "failure states" and how to deal with contingencies around them, while important, also requires time, energy and bandwidth. Which goes to my earlier point to not force it. 

Consideration #3: Consider the "human-machine interface" or the "pilot-aircraft" interface. The latter, comes from the aviation industry to consider how the pilot interacts with the cockpit so they can pay attention to the important thing the pilot needs to do (fly). I’ve adapted it to consider law enforcement officers are expected to interact with their cruiser to do a lot of functions, sometimes subconsciously.

Unrelated to EV's, I had a deputy who went from Car A to Car B and had a noticeable decline in a variety of metrics. When I asked him the qualitative and in-depth question “why,” his answer was shocked me: he went from a car that he’s driven for 20 years with the same controls in relatively the same places, to a newer model, and where he didn’t have the muscle memory of the controls in the new vehicle. Despite my efforts, to integrate our EV in daily patrol operations we have failed for a simple reason: it feels like a spaceship to people who do not have a high degree of comfort with technology. They’re looking for tactile response of knobs, buttons, switches, and levers. Not a multi-function programmable scroll-wheel that you can talk to.

Consideration #4: Most EV's are not pursuit-rated vehicles. Not a huge deal, but a factor to consider. Many agencies in Vermont have navigated away from pursuits - I have personally had a high degree of success obtaining an arrest warrant for people who have fled law-enforcement (it requires a little more work, but well worth reducing the societal impact the pursuits can have as outcomes). A vehicle’s “pursuit rating” nonetheless remains important as it also test the abilities of a vehicle responding to an emergency. 

Acquisition

Purchasing a fleet vehicle in 2020 through Tesla was painful. We ultimately secured funding separate from Tesla and purchased the car because the fleet process was so problematic. I don’t know if Tesla has improved this but would offer caution and contingency planning. Most law-enforcement agencies use contract purchasing as it is advantageous cost wise.

While the Model 3 has certainly satisfied law-enforcement functions in my agency, if I were to do it again through Tesla, I would get a Model Y for space, and ease of entry exit. The Model 3 rides like a sports car. Not a surprise, but for a profession that adds a lot of extra weight carried by the operator, it is important to call out.

There is a greater variety of EV vehicles available in 2026 than in 2020. However, I am discouraged by the number of US manufacturers in 2026 who seem to be withdrawing from the EV market or underinvesting 

I’m leaving out discussion of the politics related to the company, and Elon Musk. There are plenty of places for that discourse. We acquired this vehicle prior to any thought that such a discussion was necessary. This is written for reference to discuss the technology and its use in a law enforcement agency. Our audience is law enforcement agencies, community leaders, practitioners, and the public.

 Updated: September 24, 2026

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Tesla Model 3 EV Pilot Project

In 2020, the Windham County Sheriff's Office endeavored to test an all-electric vehicle in a law enforcement setting in Vermont. This page is intended to serve as a resource for the public as we evaluate the vehicle, as well as a resource for other law enforcement agencies looking to use electric vehicles (EV) or other alternative energy vehicles in our applications. We will continue to update it during this pilot project.

Last updated: 07/27/2021

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Rationale

Background

Sheriff Mark Anderson had the opportunity to visit Norway in 2019 as part of an international training opportunity. During his time there, he was exposed to hybrid and EVs. This sparked his interest in the use of a hybrid or non-petroleum powered vehicle in a law enforcement context.

Replacements

The Office strives to replace vehicles as the economic life is depleted. This tends to fit an approximate 7-8 year life-cycle on a standard vehicle. The State of Vermont negotiates contracts with vendors wherein the state and its subdivisions may purchase at the negotiated rate.

Police Package Vehicles

When we talk about police package vehicles, its important to discuss what is different with them. They often come with increased braking capacity, suspension, and handling compared to standard models. They have interiors that are easily cleaned and sanitized (plastic & vinyl versus cloth). They have wiring prepared for installation of lights, sirens and radios. Finally, they have aftermarket equipment designed to be installed based on bolt patterns, layouts and designs.

Plan

The Windham County Sheriff's Office planned to purchase three vehicles during 3-4Q FY2019-2020:

1. 2020 1/2 truck used to move equipment and enclosed trailers
2. 2020 sedan/SUV used to patrol/transport prisoners
3. 2020 sedan/SUV for an administrative vehicle

The truck was intended to be an addition to the fleet. The Office previously owned a 3/4 ton truck which was sold due to low usage/high cost of operation. The remaining two vehicles would rotate out vehicles that reached their economic end of life. One was a 2013 Ford Interceptor SUV with over 190,000 miles and required extensive repairs. The other was a 2008 Ford Crown Victoria (unknown mileage - broken instrument cluster) that required extensive repairs.

Pandemic

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the United States in 2020, a contraction of global supply chains resulted in delays in purchasing vehicles designed for law enforcement agencies. As a result, the earliest anticipated delivery of any of our "normal" vehicles was 2021. Another effect of the pandemic was that funds intended for vehicle purchases were partially redistributed to support our response to COVID19. This caused us to examine different strategies for vehicle deployment.

Alternatives

Discussing possibilities of standard civilian package vehicles, we learned that the available supply was limited (like toilet paper). As we found comparable vehicles available, we found they were quickly purchased from dealers. We purchased a used Ford Taurus which satisfied our administrative vehicle purchase at a reduced cost from our plan. We applied for a grant to purchase the truck. We evaluated the transport vehicle which we intended to repurpose for patrol and extended its current use another year when we expected those types of vehicles to be available again.

We reviewed Tesla's website, which advertised a 4-6 week delivery from order. We began evaluating the cost aspect and researching if EVs were even used in a police context. We were familiar with agencies in Vermont and nationally using hybrid vehicles, but unaware of electric at that point. No state contract existed with Tesla for vehicle purchases.

Cost of a 2020 vehicle

Ford Interceptor base price: $35,458Estimated manufacture upgrades: $5,000 Estimated cost not including upfitting or fees: $40,458

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Tesla's in law enforcement

Research

A variety of agencies in the United States have deployed Tesla's in a police context. One document found suggests twelve agencies, though we became aware of that after our purchase. Through our initial an internet search, we found the Fremont CA Police Department purchased used Tesla Model S for patrol. We also found the Bargersville IN Police Department, which had photographs posted online of their Tesla Model 3 showing installation of law enforcement equipment and use in a patrol capacity.

Sheriff Anderson spoke with the Bargersville PD, asking questions about expenses, maintenance, upfitting, operation constraints, and more. Some of the critical takeaways from the initial conversation was: 1) the operating costs they experienced resembled the cost estimates we anticipated 2) charging infrastructure was a critical consideration in evaluating how they'd work for us.

We informally spoke with New England owners about their experiences with the cars. Rear-wheel drive was reported as problematic in snow. All wheel drive with snow tires was reported as usable. Some people told us they had no issues on Vermont roads, while others told us we wouldn't be breaking trails (but then again, we were told that about rear-wheel drive Crown Victorias which we inevitably broke trails with). We learned that the batteries were affected by the cold, by a reduction as much as half the distance of the battery, whiles others shared approximately 20% reduction as a result.

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Sheriff's Tesla in Vermont

Fuel cost compared to gas cruiser

This graph shows the average cost of fuel divided by the mileage, based on the year the vehicle was manufactured. This is organized by Electric Vehicles (EV) and Internal Combustion Engine (ICE)/Gas powered cars.

2013: $0.54 per mile

2016: $0.48 per mile

2017: $0.48 per mile

2018: $0.24 per mile

2019: $0.72 per mile

2020 (EV): $0.02 per mile

2020 (ICE): Pending

Assumptions:1) An average cost of gas of $2.41 based on the AOT's Fuel Price Adjustment from 2015 to 2020) The mileage of a vehicle from 2015 to 2020 was the same each year 3) An average of 10MPG including idling, across each vehicle.

Acquisition

We ordered the Tesla Model 3 through the standard order process. Once we talked with a member of the sales team, we were directed to Tesla's Enterprise service through which the purchase process was completed. Because we obtained funding outside of Tesla, we were eligible for touch-free delivery or touch-free pickup. The vehicle was ordered on 08/04/2020 and we took possession on 10/14/2020.

Financing

While some enterprise finance options were available through third-party vendors, we opted to rely on local financing through Brattleboro Savings & Loan.Model 3 base price: $35,000Black paint: Black paint: Black paint: Black paint: $1,000,000Long Range/Dual Motor (AWD): Long Range/Dual Motor (AWD): $11,9901,990Cost of Vehicle: $47,990 Fees: Fees: $1,300,300Total Cost (no interest): $49,290

Upfitting

Our Tesla Model 3 was recently upfitted by Global Public Safety in Hudson NH. Because of the glass roof in the Model 3, a light bar was not possible. The vehicle has Whelen lights in the front windshield, front bumper and flashing in the fog lights. There is side lighting in the side windows. Finally, there is a rear deck light bar, license plate lights, and the brake/reverse flashing patterns. The people at Global were sensitive to our desire to resell this vehicle. As such, they were able to install nearly everything without drilling holes into the vehicle.We didn't install a mobile data terminal (i.e. in-car computer) because the Model 3 is capable of accessing our computer aided dispatch (CAD)/records management system itself.

Infrastructure

We had a Level 2 charger installed at the WCSO by Tyler Electric in Brattleboro. There is a Tesla Supercharger located in Brattleboro that has been used to charge following long drives. The department has also implemented a system to reimburse staff for charging vehicles at their homes.

Policies and Training

Coming soon

Usage

The Model 3 has traveled over 8,000 miles during the time we've had it. It has been used only for administrative work and transportation. Now that it has communications and lights installed, we look to other types of work where the Model 3 can be implemented.