Newport is continuing to expand its electric vehicle fleet, this time for its planning and development department.
The city already has Tesla Model 3 vehicles for administrative use in its police department. The department first added three of the vehicles in December 2023 and then requested two more in November 2024 after the success of the first three. This time around, Newport is requesting the Tesla Model Y electric vehicle for use in the planning and development and code departments.
“This is an effort to pilot this into a different department, outside of the police department, see if this works for the needs of planning, development and code, and we think it’s going to work well,” said Newport Assistant City Manager Brian Steffen.
He said the city is short a vehicle and is using aging vehicles in the code and planning and development departments.
“One of our vehicles that’s routinely used daily is a 2005 F150, which I think probably through maintenance cost and upkeep we probably built three of those over the years,” Steffen said. “So, it’s time to start cycling some of these things out.”
Steffen said that he heard talk of a possible presidential executive order about eliminating the $7,500 electric vehicle subsidy that the city is applying for and getting in all of the instances where they’ve purchased Teslas. He said he checked the executive order, and it is not intended to pause or eliminate it, but the city will verify before purchasing the vehicle.
The Tesla Model Y is a little over $48,000 minus the $7,500 subsidy. It will be an assigned, take-home vehicle.
Newport Commissioner Mike Radwanski asked how much a gasoline vehicle would cost in comparison. Steffen said they found other vehicles comparable in size from the mid-$30,000 range to some lower options around $27,000; however, the higher price on the electric vehicle is offset by the lower maintenance cost and not paying for gasoline.
Steffen said the Tesla’s brakes alone last significantly longer due to regenerative braking, which slows down the vehicle and sends extra power back to the battery when the accelerator pedal is released. This helps to extend the vehicle’s driving range.
Newport Mayor Tom Guidugli Jr. said part of the discussion surrounding the pilot program for the police department was the Tesla Model 3 being more cost effective than the $44,000-$46,000 to replace a Dodge Durango.
“This is actually a savings just over the sheer dollar,” Guidugli Jr. said. “So, it is a value proposition before you even get into the maintenance issues.”
Steffen said the city is working on charging infrastructure so that the police department can use electric vehicles for patrol with superchargers. Newport has discussed in the past that the Tesla Model Y would be more suitable for patrol vehicles because it is large enough to fit a cage.
“Most likely, the most realistic thing will be that the police department will probably ultimately get this car before they buy their own Model Y just to see how they like it when that time comes,” Newport Manager John Hayden said.
Newport Police Chief Chris Fangman said the Tesla vehicles have also held up during the extreme cold. He said the department has had zero maintenance cost and the vehicles cost between $5-$6 to charge.
“Our plan is to go slowly and prove effectiveness before we go buy a fleet of cars,” Guidugli Jr. said.
