Teslas make sense

This is in response to a Dec. 26 letter by Ron Shores (“Socialist police cars?”) in which he complains about the Spokane City Council’s decision to buy 4 Tesla Model Y’s for police cars.

I am completely lost as to why he thinks Teslas are “socialist cars.” He provides no explanation or rationale for this statement. This may have something to do with thinking that coal mining is going to continue for the next several hundred years as many of these mines are in fact closing in the U.S. because they are no longer economically viable. If you don’t believe this, you should take a drive through Farmington, New Mexico.

Instead of being concerned about politics, we need to consider that all citizens of Spokane want the taxes they pay to be well spent. Using the U.S. Department of Energy’s fuel economy calculator, the Spokane Police Department’s energy cost for the 2021 Tesla Model Ys will be 125 MPGe combined, 131 MPGe city, and 117 MPGe highway. This is many times less expensive than current gas-powered cars now in use by the Spokane Police Department.

In other cities like Westport, Connecticut, which recently purchased one all-electric Tesla, the chief of police said he realizes these cars are “… significantly more expensive in upfront costs, but … they “expect to more than make up for that in fuel and maintenance savings over the life of the vehicle.”

Kelly Courtright

Deer Park