Story of police chief who switches sides on electric cars

Story of police chief who switches sides on electric cars

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Avondale Estates, Georgia, may be just 8 miles east of Atlanta’s bustling city center, but its unique Tudor Revival architecture and storied history paint a picture of a quieter past. Although the town is quaint—with 3,600 residents and 1.26 square miles—it hasn’t been afraid of progress.

In August 2022, the Avondale Estates Police Department began transitioning to electric police vehicles, and today, four of the 17 vehicles in the all-Ford fleet are electric. “We have one F-150® Lightning® truck and three Mustang® Mach-E® SUVs, which we use as administrative vehicles,” said Police Chief Harry Hess.

Photo courtesy of Ford.

The electric vehicles (EVs) quickly proved to be a worthy investment. Between September 2022 and May 2024, Hess says, the department saved nearly 2,790 gallons of gasoline and 19.87 metric tons of CO2 and continues to see monthly savings from running the vehicles. For example, in April 2024, the department spent about $200 less on energy costs when comparing gasoline and charging. “In April, we would have spent $651 [on gas]but our electric vehicle charging station bill that month was only $432.”

“In April we would have spent $651 [on gas]but our electric vehicle charging station bill that month was only $432.”
Chief Harry Hess

EV charging leads to new routines

When the mayor and board of commissioners first asked Hess to research electric vehicle adoption, he had reservations: “Honestly, I didn't want to do it. I thought we would be undervalued by the electric police vehicles, and at that time we didn't have chargers installed anywhere.”

Still, the city worked closely with the local Ford dealer to get quotes and ultimately voted unanimously to switch to electric police cars for administrative and criminal investigators.

Hess will be the first to admit that he “got into a rush” after the vote.

“We knew we needed chargers, and we knew we needed them yesterday,” he said. Fortunately, the local utility, Georgia Power, worked with the department to find an electrician who specialized in charging electric vehicles.

After assessing the costs and logistics of installing the chargers, the city decided to install Level 2 chargers at the homes of Hess and his deputy chief, and at the police station.

In addition to electric police vehicles, Avondale Police Department has also activated Ford Pro™ Telematics1 to streamline vehicle maintenance.

Once the chargers were installed, Hess had to develop some new routines. “I had to remember to plug the EV in when I got home, which was new to me,” he said. “And in the beginning, when the EV’s range dropped below 50%, I wanted to charge right away.”

But Hess quickly adapted. He estimates his average daily mileage at 75 miles. “The real learning curve was the care, but after learning more about the range and capabilities of electric vehicles, I found I could drive two to three days on a full charge with the Mach-E.”

“The real learning curve was the anxiety, but after learning more about the range and capabilities of electric vehicles, I found I could drive two to three days on a full charge on the Mach-E.” — Chief Harry Hess

Additionally, Hess and his team are leveraging features like One-Pedal Driving (which helps increase the use of regenerative braking) to maximize the range of electric vehicles.

“My detective who drives a Mach-E lives about 35 miles from the station,” Hess said. “She went from using 15%-20% of the battery on her commute to just 10% using One-Pedal Driving.”

Hess’s initial reservations about adopting electric vehicles have now dissipated. “The electric vehicles require a little bit more upfront investment, but the way I’ve been following the Mustang Mach-E SUVs, I expect to see a full return on investment in year three or four,” he said. He’s even had other agencies in the state reach out to him for advice on how to add electric vehicles to their own fleets.

His biggest tip? “Make sure you have the EV charging infrastructure.”

Story courtesy of ford.

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