Police cars aren’t cheap. They have big engines and strong body reinforcements, made to take abuse normal models cannot take. The LAPD is bringing new meaning to “green police”
(Mashable) Â A Tesla Model S is about as far from a Ford Crown Victoria as you can imagine, but the former might just replace the latter in the police fleets of the U.S.
As part of a larger effort to be more environmentally friendly, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) announced Friday that it would be leasing a Tesla Model S P85D and a BMW i3 for research into electric vehicles (EV).
The city of Los Angeles is looking to lease a total of 160 EVs, which would give it the largest city-owned EV fleet in the U.S.
Here’s what they look like
#LAPD: @LAPDChiefBeck speaking at the news conference on Historic Transition to Green Energy Vehicles. pic.twitter.com/n1KdFOrX8F
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) September 11, 2015
Fantastic! So, officers will have to get off the road every hour or so (maybe less) and take time to charge the cars up. Usually around 30 minutes for an 80% charge. So, that means law enforcement is unavailable to patrol or respond to calls during 1/3 to 1/2 of their shift. And, they’ll have to find charging ports around the city. Police will literally have to plan their driving day around constant recharging. Good idea!
Pit maneuver? Good luck with that. What happens if they are in an accident? Special fire department responses are needed, like with most hybrid and electric cars.
