Dallas County is the latest to tap EVs for law enforcement, adding three Tesla Model 3s to its police fleet.
Local, state and federal governments worldwide have begun adding battery-electric models to their municipal fleets, including the New York Police Department and police departments in Boulder, Spokane and Fremont, California.
The interest in adding electric cars to municipal fleets, which collectively log millions of miles a year but also idle for long periods, could have a significant impact on emissions, infrastructure and the relative success of EV makers.
EVs can cut maintenance and fuel costs, although they will still need access to charging stations and enough time to top up their batteries.
But it’s a curious choice for Dallas, located in a state where franchise laws forbid Tesla from selling directly to consumers at its company-owned stores. Instead, customers in Texas must purchase their Tesla online and pick it up in another state. Employees at Tesla’s Texas stores, where customers can come browse the model lineup, cannot disclose financial information, either.
Dallas County Commissioners authorized the county to purchase three Tesla Model 3 Performance models for a total of $190,320. The police department will keep the cars in its Automotive Service Center as reserve units when the department’s other vehicles are undergoing maintenance or repairs.
Lucid Group and the government of Saudi Arabia, which owns a 61% stake in the business, announced Tuesday that the Kingdom will buy up to 100,000 Lucid vehicles over the decade to support its Saudi Vision 2030 and Saudi Green Initiative toward sustainable transportation.
As one of the largest-ever EV purchase agreements, the commitment includes the sale of 50,000 Lucid models, including the Air luxury sedan and upcoming Gravity SUV, and an option to buy an additional 50,000 Lucid vehicles over the next 10 years.