INDUSTRY NEWS City Council Approves Purchase of 20 New Patrol Cars for Greensboro, NC Police
Biden Tours GM Plant in Detroit Fresh from signing a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that provides substantial funds for a nationwide electric vehicle charging network, President Joe Biden was in Detroit recently to visit Factory Zero, the centerpiece of General Motors’ shift to all-electric vehicles. The assembly plant, which underwent a $2 billion conversion, will produce a variety of battery-electric vehicles, starting with the 2022 GMC Hummer EV. All told, GM plans to roll out at least 30 battery-electric vehicles by mid-decade and has laid out a plan in which it would shift entirely to battery power for its retail product line by 2035. But it is by no means alone. A newly released study forecasts that the global auto industry will invest at least $500 billion in its push to electrify by the end of the decade. The transition is accelerating rapidly. Whereas the 2021 model year ended with just over a dozen long-range battery-electric vehicles available for U.S. motorists, industry analysts expect that to grow to more than 50 by the end of next year. The rollout of new products is critical, industry observers say. While early battery-electric vehicles were largely concentrated in the small sedan and hatchback segment, new offerings are falling more in line with trends in the broader industry, with products like the Ford Mustang Mach-E and GM’s new Hummer. In addition, several vehicles—including the Tesla Model S and the new Lucid Air—can get 400 to 520 miles per charge, according to estimates from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Finally Some Relief…Natural Gas and Gasoline Prices Are Going Down Americans grappling with historic levels of inflation are finally getting some relief where they need it most…previously booming energy prices. After a relentless rise, prices at the pump are heading south. The national average price for a gallon of regular gas fell to a seven-week low of $3.35 a gallon this week, according to AAA. The outlook for home heating costs this winter is also improving significantly. Natural gas futures have been nearly cut in half over the past two months. Natural gas plunged by more than 11 percent on Monday, its worst day in nearly three years. Energy sticker shock has been one of the biggest drivers behind the 31-year high in inflation. Cooling energy prices, if they last, could take significant inflationary pressure off the U.S. economy and inspire confidence among bummed-out consumers.
8 Police Fleet Manager Winter 2021
In November, the Greensboro, NC City Council approved the purchase of 20 new police cars as a part of the department’s effort to recruit and retain officers. The 20 new patrol cars will take anywhere from six to seven months to come in with an initial purchase price of $1,160,300 for the vehicles and upfits (light bars and other electronics and cameras). The goal is to have enough vehicles in the fleet that officers can take them home. Chief Brian James said the department is losing officers to other departments that already offer this option. The money is coming from the city’s budget and it is part of a five-phase plan to add 100 new cars to the fleet. “This is just a piece of the puzzle, the position I’m in as chief is there are all these agencies around me that have something we don’t have,” Chief Brian James said. James is trying to increase the fleet of patrol cars…so every patrol officer can take a vehicle home. He says his department is losing officers to other neighboring departments that already offer that perk. A take-home vehicle also reduces call response time and helps officers get more police work done. Right now, an officer comes to the station, searches for a car, then loads all their equipment and gear from their personal vehicle to the patrol car, which can take 45 minutes to an hour. The Greensboro Police Department is currently trying to fill 90 positions. “If an officer leaves today, it will take me a minimum of a year to replace that officer,” James said.
California Municipality to Purchase Three Teslas for Police Department The City of Menlo Park, CA Council has agreed to purchase three Tesla Model Ys for police use. The vehicles will be part of a police patrol decarbonization pilot program, in which the city plans to transition to an all-electric patrol fleet by 2023. Each Model Y is expected to cost the city approximately $115,000, including police modifications. According to a staff report regarding the purchase, the city could expect delays for vehicle deliveries, with timelines close to August 2022. As a result, this may impact “the feasibility of collecting evidence necessary to inform the conversion of patrol vehicles to all electric, or result in project cost overruns,” the report stated.
Petersburg Becomes First Virginia City to Run Entire Police Vehicle Fleet on Renewable Propane Petersburg, VA recently unveiled its fleet of no-gasoline government vehicles and in doing so became the first city in Virginia to run its municipal cars on a form of propane. Forty-nine Petersburg Police vehicles have been converted from gas to renewable propane autogas, which officials say burns cleaner and has far fewer emissions than traditional petrol. Representatives of Virginia Clean Cities, Alliance AutoGas, Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) joined city leaders in unveiling the updated fleet. The cost of converting the cars to renewable propane is around $6,000 per vehicle, or $294,000 for
