BY EMILY MIBACH
Daily Post Staff Writer
The Menlo Park City Council has put off purchasing eight new patrol cars for the police department after the council received over 20 emails asking the city to buy electric vehicles instead.
The council on Tuesday (May 21) was slated to approve the purchase of eight Ford hybrid patrol cars, but re-scheduled the item for a later date.
“Consider buying plug-in hybrids or total electric vehicles, that meet the police department’s performance needs and reduce carbon emissions. Do a cost benefit analysis, weighing pros/cons of electric or plug in vehicles that get more MPG than the proposed cars, or that do not emit carbon,” wrote Cynthia Neuwalder.
The new cars would have cost the city $378,260, according to a report from Public Works Supervisor Donald Weber.
Eight electric patrol cars would cost $922,592, according to Weber’s report. That includes the cost to install EV chargers.
Fremont’s Police Department bought a Tesla Model S 85 for $65,000. It is testing the Tesla to see if it should buy more.
The best way to virtue signal is with other people’s money.
I’ve got a solution. Since the police thrive on lying to people (undercover work, coercive interviews, speed traps, etc.), why don’t they buy the less expensive internal combustion engine cars. Then they should print some bumper stickers that say “all-electric”. It will fool the environmentalists, it will fit right into the police department’s code of conduct, and it will save taxpayers a lot of money.
Why not just slap some Terrapass bumper stickers on a bunch of used Crown Victorias and call it a day.
According to the article, Mr. Weber’s claims the electric patrol cars will cost $115,000 each. Yet Fremont bought an electric patrol car for $65,000. Are people in Fremont $50,000 per car smarter than Mr. Weber? Or did Mr. Weber load up the electric vehicle quote with every cost imaginable to justify the status quo?
According to the article, Mr. Weber’s claims the electric patrol cars will cost $115,000 each. Yet Fremont bought an electric patrol car for $65,000. Are people in Fremont really $50,000 per car smarter than Mr. Weber? Or did Mr. Weber load up the electric vehicle quote with every cost imaginable to justify the status quo?
According to the article, Mr. Weber’s claims the electric patrol cars will cost $115,000 each. Yet Fremont bought an electric patrol car for $65,000. Are people in Fremont really $50,000 per car smarter than Mr. Weber? Or did Mr. Weber load up the electric vehicle quote with every cost imaginable to justify the status quo?
I believe Fremont PD got a good price on a used Tesla. Weber is probably quoting full retail for police package equipped Teslas.
buy the car that will give the city the most bang for the buck … please don’t do any virtue signalling … don’t follow the lead of SamTrans in buying expensive all-electric buses that break down all the time … these stupid buses drive up the cost of doing business while having no effect on the environment
When deciding whether to go electric, the city should investigate how the batteries are disposed of after the car has reached the end of its useful life. The batteries are so hazardous that they require their own toxic waste dump. This is an aspect of electric cars that nobody talks about because they want to pretend these vehicles are so good for the environment. But I encourage the city to do a full report looking at the entire lifespan of an electric car and its components. This is something most environmentalists don’t have the courage to do.
I would love to know if my observation that police practice is to leave vehicles running at all times is formal policy? If so, electric is a substantial difference in emissions and in the air quality on the local level, because these cars engines are idling all the time!
Many people are harmed by breathing in fumes if they have asthma, copd, etc., no reason menlo park should be contributing to this if it can be avoided