Story of Police Chief Switching Sides on Electric Cars

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Avondale Estates, Georgia, could also be simply 8 miles east of Atlanta’s bustling metropolis heart, however its distinctive Tudor-Revival structure and storied historical past paint an image of a quieter previous. Whereas the city is quaint—at 3,600 residents and 1.26 sq. miles—it hasn’t shied away from progress.

In August 2022, the Avondale Estates police division started transitioning to electrical police automobiles, and as we speak, 4 of the 17 automobiles within the all-Ford fleet are electrical. “We have one F-150® Lightning® truck and three Mustang® Mach-E® SUVs, which we use as administrative vehicles,” stated Police Chief Harry Hess.

The electrical automobiles (EVs) rapidly proved to be a worthy funding. Between September 2022 and Might 2024, Hess says the division saved practically 2,790 gallons of gasoline and 19.87 tons of CO2 and continues to see month-to-month financial savings in working the automobiles. For instance, the division spent roughly $200 much less on power prices in April 2024 when evaluating gasoline and charging. “In April, we would’ve spent $651 (on gas), but our power bill for the EV charging stations that month was only $432.”

“In April, we would’ve spent $651 (on gas), but our power bill for the EV charging stations that month was only $432.”
Chief Harry Hess

EV Charging Prompts New Routines

When the mayor and board of commissioners first requested Hess to analyze EV adoption, he had reservations: “In full transparency, I didn’t want to do it. I thought we’d be outpriced by the electric police vehicles, and at the time, we didn’t have chargers installed anywhere.”

Even nonetheless, the town labored carefully with its native Ford Dealership to get quotes and ultimately voted unanimously to transition to electrical police automobiles for admin and prison investigators.

Hess would be the first to confess that he “went into scramble mode” after the vote.

“We knew we needed chargers—and we knew we needed them yesterday,” he stated. Fortunately, the native utility supplier, Georgia Energy, labored with the division to seek out an electrician who specialised in EV charging.

After assessing the prices and logistics of charger set up, the town determined to put in Degree 2 chargers at Hess’ residence and his deputy chief’s residence in addition to on the police station.

Together with electrical police automobiles, Avondale PD activated Ford Professional™ Telematics1 to streamline car upkeep.

As soon as the chargers had been put in, Hess needed to type some new routines. “I had to remember to plug the EV in when I got home, which was new for me,” he stated. “And initially, once the EV range dipped below 50%, I wanted to recharge right away.”

Quickly sufficient, nonetheless, Hess adjusted. He estimates his common day by day mileage to be 75 miles. “The real learning curve was the worry, but after learning more about the range and capabilities of EVs, I found that I could get two to three days’ worth of driving out of a full charge on the Mach-E.”

“The real learning curve was the worry, but after learning more about the range and capabilities of EVs, I found that I could get two to three days’ worth of driving out of a full charge on the Mach-E.” — Chief Harry Hess

Moreover, Hess and his staff use options like One-Pedal Driving (which helps improve using regenerative braking) to maximise EV vary.

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

As we speak, Hess’ preliminary reservations about EV adoption are gone. “The EVs require a little more investment upfront, but the way I’m tracking on the Mustang Mach-E SUVs, I’m anticipating full return on investment in year three or four,” he stated. He’s even had different companies across the state method him for recommendation on how you can add EVs to their very own fleets.

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

Story courtesy of Ford.

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