Westport has purchased a fully electric 2020 Tesla Model 3 for its police fleet, the first by a Connecticut police agency. The 310-mile-range electric vehicle will be outfitted with all the necessary police equipment, according to Police Chief Foti Koskinas. 

In addition to being environmentally friendly, Koskinas says the car offers superior performance, five-star crash ratings and industry-leading collision avoidance technology as compared to the town’s typical squad cars. 

While the initial purchase price of $52,290 was higher than the $37,000 the department would normally spend on adding another Ford Explorer to the fleet, Koskinas said he expects to more than make up for that in fuel and maintenance savings over the life of the vehicle: The Department of Energy’s fuel economy calculator shows the Police Department’s cost per mile will be $0.040. The fuel cost for a Ford Explorer is $0.127 per mile—a projected savings of $13,770 in the first three years alone.