Thai Police Add Tesla Model 3 to Their Fleet of Patrol Vehicles, Costing $385k Each

Getting on the Tesla wagon seems to be the "cool thing" to do nowadays, with numerous countries converting Tesla vehicles into police cars. Back in February, Ontario Provincial Police had conceptualized the vehicle as a potential police car, and we know that the Fremont Police Department in California is using Tesla Model S as their patrol car.

The craze has arrived in Europe too, with Switzerland having the largest fleet of Tesla police cars. Thailand seems to be the next stop since the Thailand National Police Agency has joined the craze by adding seven Tesla Model 3 Performance electric vehicles to its fleet, each car costing $385k and $2.7 million USD in total.

The figures are taken from Teslarati, and if they are correct, this makes each vehicle almost ten times the cost of a standard range Model 3 in the US.

SEE ALSO: TESLA CYBERTRUCK IS THE VEHICLE OF CHOICE FOR ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE

Seven Teslas leased for five years

Thai police have stated on their official website that the seven vehicles were each leased for five years. The cars were delivered to the police headquarters in Dusit, Bangkok, with police equipment already installed.

It is not clear if the construction of charging infrastructure is included in the price, and while the extra police gear must have added some cost, the price tag is much higher than the majority of other countries. 

The average cost of electric vehicles in Singapore is $110,326

Singapore is the most expensive country regarding the purchase of electric vehicles, with the average cost being $110,326. Thailand follows the lead as the second most expensive country to purchase an electric vehicle with an average price of $64,675, according to CompareTheMarket.

EV adoption in Thailand

This and other reasons have Thailand being left behind in EV adoption; however, according to IHS Markit, the Thai government has unveiled a roadmap for EV in March 2020. It is reported that the government plans to promote EVs through state agencies, and has set a goal to produce 250,000 electrified vehicles, 3,000 electric public buses, and 53,000 electric motorcycles by 2025.

EVs are being favored by police forces due to their low maintenance and fuel costs. While in Thailand's case the figures are astronomically high, these cost savings per year could help and provide a more sustainable future.