NITRO, W.Va. — The city of Nitro is purchasing a Tesla for its police department.
The Nitro City Council approved the $60,000 purchase during its Tuesday meeting.
City officials and Nitro Police Chief Chris Fleming have been discussing the possible purchase for months. Fleming said he was skeptical of the idea at first, but he changed his mind after talking to other police departments outside of the state with similar terrain to Nitro.
“We decided to give it a chance,” he said. “In talking to those departments, they sang their praises and talked about how it really works well for them.”
The city estimates it will save more than $40,000 over six years in gas and maintenance costs.
Fleming said he expects the vehicle will arrive in Nitro in six weeks.