Oakwood unveils 2024 all‑electric police patrol vehicle, cites lower operating costs and reduced emissions

Oakwood officials unveiled a 2024 Chevy Blazer all‑electric police patrol vehicle that city leaders said is the first to enter service in Montgomery County and among the first in Ohio.

The vehicle, which Chief Alan Hill described as “fully upfitted to the standards and specifications equal to other patrol vehicles in the safety department's fleet,” includes a rear prisoner partition, siren box, emergency lighting, push bumper, radar unit, mobile radio, in‑car camera system, weapon storage rack and an in‑car computer. City staff said a Level 2 electric vehicle charger is installed to recharge the cruiser.

The announcement was part demonstration, part policy statement: Chief Alan Hill told the crowd the city expects lower operational costs over time but that an exact dollar savings “is not yet known and won't be for a few years down the road.” Hill said electric vehicles have “an overall operational cost per mile significantly lower than gas powered vehicles,” and noted maintenance reductions for items such as brakes and oil changes. He also said idling emissions are “essentially eliminated” because police vehicles spend long periods idling while on patrol.

Mayor Bill Duncan said the purchase was not made with outside subsidies, and that the city and its budget review committee recommended the buy as an economic decision. “This wasn't, you know, a government grant. This was not a subsidy from anybody. We decided to purchase this because we thought, economically, it was the best financial decision for our city,” Duncan said, praising the committee's review.

Representatives from Drive Electric Dayton and General Motors spoke at the event. Chris Selleck, vice president of Drive Electric Dayton and executive director of the Electric Vehicle Association, told the crowd electricity costs about 30 percent of the price of gasoline or diesel for vehicle fuel and said EV powertrains have far fewer moving parts than internal combustion powertrains, reducing routine maintenance needs. Yuri Tello, General Motors government account executive for the North Central Region, said the Blazer PPV is the first police‑pursuit‑rated EV and that it passed testing by the Michigan State Police and the California Highway Patrol.

City staff provided operational details at the unveiling: officials said the Blazer’s estimated range is just under 300 miles on a full charge and that the Level 2 charger on site can recharge the vehicle in “just a few short hours.” The vehicle was described as arriving fully equipped for patrol and scheduled to be placed into service by the safety department later the same day.

Officials acknowledged several people and organizations involved in the project, including Tim Benford of Drive Electric Dayton, GM representatives Yuri Tello and George Tsouroulis, Kaye Rose (the vendor responsible for upfitting) and a technician named Derek who handled the recent upfitting work. City Manager Katie Schmidy and members of Oakwood’s budget review committee attended the event; speakers noted the committee’s role in recommending the purchase.

The unveiling concluded with brief remarks from city leaders and a ribbon‑cutting, after which officials opened the vehicle for inspection.