The Ministry of Security plans to gradually transition some vehicles to electric vehicles “in the coming weeks and months,” according to an emailed statement from DoSS Director Kayselim Montas. DoSS plans to replace more than half of its current fleet with Tesla Model Y vehicles, Lt. Bradford Sargent said.
The initiative would bring in four Tesla electric vehicles while retaining three Ford vehicles, but Montas said the department may eventually consider moving to all-electric vehicles. suggested. “The current fleet is reaching the end of its lifespan,” Montas wrote.
Sargent, who led the transition process to EVs, said the company began considering transitioning DoSS vehicles to EVs in the second half of 2021.
“I've seen several articles about police departments in various New England municipalities using Tesla Y models,” said Sargent. “I wanted to look at that research-wise for purposes here on campus.”
Sargent said the DoSS has asked two police departments that used Tesla vehicles (Westport, Conn. and Wolfeboro, N.H.) and the Office of Sustainability for more information. According to Caroline Mahoney ’25, the Office of Sustainability shared the project with an interest group of transportation students within the first-year Sustainability Action Program.
Mahoney, a member of the SAP Transportation Student Interest Group, said the group was already considering “electrifying some of the vehicles on Dartmouth's campus” when Sargent contacted him.
“We brainstormed it [DoSS] It could be a very good target, especially for electric cars. [DoSS] That’s city driving,” Mahoney said. “There is a lot of starting and stopping, and there is a lot of idling and waiting. Particularly in the Hannover winter, you often have to wait with the car heating on. This is very unsuitable for internal combustion engines. It's efficiency.”
Mr Mahoney added that electric cars are “optimized” for start-stop operation and that heat pumps in electric cars make “vehicle air conditioning and heating much more efficient than internal combustion engine heating and cooling.” .
Mahoney's group contacted Sargent and, with support from the Dartmouth Energy Alliance, began considering various electric vehicles. Mahoney said DoSS provided the group with data on the cumulative miles driven and gasoline used on existing Ford Explorers, and the group used his EPA's website to report greenhouse gas emissions with various EV models. We calculated how much emissions and costs would be reduced.
Mahoney said the student group was initially wary of Tesla because of its high price and reputation as a “bit of a luxury car,” but the Tesla Model Y ultimately met DoSS' operational needs.
“The Tesla Model Y had the right capacity,” Mahoney said. “The interior space of the vehicle was a big factor for us…because [DoSS has] All your duties require a lot of equipment that you must carry with you at all times. ”
Sargent added that the Tesla Model Y has excellent safety ratings and all-wheel drive, which are important considerations for winter driving.
Another big factor, Mahoney said, was that Tesla was able to deliver cars quickly because the current Ford Explorer lease is coming to an end soon.
“I had a Zoom call with a representative from Tesla…It was interesting to hear a little bit about what they can offer us as an organization,” Mahoney said. “Tesla was one of the few vehicles that could actually deliver high performance. [faster] Timeline. “
Mahoney's group also examined Dartmouth's energy mix and power infrastructure. They found that there was no “campus-wide effort to introduce more electric vehicles” or a “central purchasing bureau” to purchase campus vehicles, but that existing charging stations and electrical infrastructure existed. Each departmentDepartments such as facility operations and management purchased their own hybrid and electric vehicles. According to Sargent, there will be a dedicated charging station for the new DoSS Tesla.
Mahoney said the initiative's success is “part of a larger trend in the U.S. to switch to electric vehicles.”
“I feel like you came in first grade and you didn't know you could make such a difference.” [this]” Mahoney said. “But there are certainly so many avenues here and so many people who are excited to hear from students and excited to work with students to make things happen.”
Caroline Mahoney is a member of the Dartmouth Mirror staff.