Tesla Model S Patrol Car Runs Out of Juice During Chase, Cop Pulls Out

Officer Jesse Hartman was pursuing a vehicle involved in another crime, when he saw that his Tesla was running out of power. The used 2014 Model S was bought by the department in 2018 for $61,000 and was then modified into a police cruiser, over the course of the following year. It is part of a pilot program that will help the PD cut down on emissions and gasoline costs.

Despite the incident, a spokesperson for the PD says they still have faith in the program. And why shouldn’t they, when something like this could have happened to any other officer? According to the spokesperson, the officer in the previous shift forgot to charge the car before leaving, and officer Hartman didn’t do it because he assumed it was fully charged.

“Just slowed down to six miles of battery on the Tesla, so I may lose it here in a sec,” Officer Hartman is heard saying on the radio. “If someone else is able, can they maneuver into the No. 1 spot?”

This is exactly what happened: Hartman pulled out from the chase and other units and CHP cars took over. They too would abandon the chase eventually, because it was deemed that the driver whom they were pursuing was driving too recklessly and was putting others at risk, which is standard procedure in this case. The car was found crashed some hours later, but they’re yet to track down the driver.

Spokesperson Geneva Bosques tells NBC that the incident will not change the future of the program.

“The Tesla wasn’t fully charged at the beginning of the shift. This, unfortunately, happens from time to time, even in our vehicles that run on gas, if they aren’t refueled at the end of a shift,” Bosques explains. “This one instance does not in any way change our feeling regarding the performance of the vehicle for patrol purposes.”

“So far the car is meeting or exceeding our expectations,” Bosques continues. “We are still in our first six months of the pilot program and we’re keeping track of all the data.”

If you’re wondering why Bosques is so bent on stressing that they’re happy with the way Tesla is performing as a patrol cruiser, it’s because the department paid about $20,000 more on it (before customization) than it would have paid on a new Ford Explorer police vehicle. They believe the extra cost will be offset by lower maintenance and fuel costs over time.