Photo: LAPD
The LAPD was seen earlier this year testing both a Tesla Model S and a BMW i3 in what looked like an attempt of making its fleet a lot greener without involving buckets of paint.
About one month later, news came in that the German electric vehicle was chosen and the LAPD will shortly start using it, even though its purpose was unclear. Naturally, we assumed that was the end of it, and since no further information about the two Tesla Model S P85D cars surfaced, we figured the law enforcers were happy with the vehicles they had at this moment.
It turns out there is still room in the city of Los Angeles for a Tesla with red and blue lights as well. Given the relatively short range of the BMW i3 and the equally relative long recharge times, we were very curious to know what use could the police department find for the EVs. That mystery was recently solved by Vartan Yegiyan, LAPD's assistant commander of the Administrative Services Bureau during a talk with NBC-LA.
It would seem that the i3s will only serve in situations where there is no urgency involved. In fact, these EVs won't even be marked, proving they are intended for administrative travel and not patrol duty. That would require a completely different type of vehicle, and if it had to be an electric one, then you couldn't do any better than a Tesla Model S.
You feel like the LAPD hurried a little with the BMW. If cutting expenditures is what it's after - the BMW i3s are said to reduce running costs by about 15 percent compared to traditionally-powred cars - the police department could have waited a few more months for the Chevrolet Bolt, which isn't just cheaper, but also has better performance. Not to mention it's US-built.
With the Tesla, though, the LAPD is sure to get it right straight off. There are a few companies who threaten to put similar products on the market soon, but none of them are readily available nor can they offer the same tried-and-tested guarantee of the Model S.
For more accurate testing, the LAPD is now working with Tesla to retrofit one of the two P85Ds with all the equipment needed by a patrol car, including radio, a custody cage, and a lockable shotgun rack. Once all this is fitted onto the car, the Model S will go out on actual patrol routes for the first time after serving as a show car for the LAPD now. The second Model S will get the same treatment shortly after.
Of course, the cost of a high-performance Model S is still a prohibiting factor. Even if Tesla were to make a significant discount - even though Elon Musk isn't known for the ease with which he does that - the Model S would still be around double the price of a conventional police car. And despite having lower running costs, it would take a very long time for that price gap to be nullified. Not to mention police cars tend to get damaged or even totaled, and losing expensive Model S cars would put a big financial strain on the city's budget.
It turns out there is still room in the city of Los Angeles for a Tesla with red and blue lights as well. Given the relatively short range of the BMW i3 and the equally relative long recharge times, we were very curious to know what use could the police department find for the EVs. That mystery was recently solved by Vartan Yegiyan, LAPD's assistant commander of the Administrative Services Bureau during a talk with NBC-LA.
It would seem that the i3s will only serve in situations where there is no urgency involved. In fact, these EVs won't even be marked, proving they are intended for administrative travel and not patrol duty. That would require a completely different type of vehicle, and if it had to be an electric one, then you couldn't do any better than a Tesla Model S.
You feel like the LAPD hurried a little with the BMW. If cutting expenditures is what it's after - the BMW i3s are said to reduce running costs by about 15 percent compared to traditionally-powred cars - the police department could have waited a few more months for the Chevrolet Bolt, which isn't just cheaper, but also has better performance. Not to mention it's US-built.
With the Tesla, though, the LAPD is sure to get it right straight off. There are a few companies who threaten to put similar products on the market soon, but none of them are readily available nor can they offer the same tried-and-tested guarantee of the Model S.
For more accurate testing, the LAPD is now working with Tesla to retrofit one of the two P85Ds with all the equipment needed by a patrol car, including radio, a custody cage, and a lockable shotgun rack. Once all this is fitted onto the car, the Model S will go out on actual patrol routes for the first time after serving as a show car for the LAPD now. The second Model S will get the same treatment shortly after.
Of course, the cost of a high-performance Model S is still a prohibiting factor. Even if Tesla were to make a significant discount - even though Elon Musk isn't known for the ease with which he does that - the Model S would still be around double the price of a conventional police car. And despite having lower running costs, it would take a very long time for that price gap to be nullified. Not to mention police cars tend to get damaged or even totaled, and losing expensive Model S cars would put a big financial strain on the city's budget.
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