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Tesla Model X-100D to Become Police Cars in Switzerland

In a first for the European continent, a police department in the Swiss canton of Basel-Stadt announced earlier this month it would be replacing the existing fleet of diesel cars with Tesla Model X-100D.
Tesla Model X 4 photos
Photo: Tesla
Tesla Model XTesla Model XTesla Model X
The move is likely to prompt similar others across the continent, as local authorities are struggling to become more environmentally-friendly, including through measures like banning access to some diesel vehicles in city centers.

The Basel-Stadt police department said it will buy seven electric SUVs, which will be converted for use as police cars by Dutch security company Force Pro.

In a statement released last week, authorities say they have reached this decision after careful analysis of the pros and cons of using EVs for law enforcement. Although being around $50,000 more expensive than current diesel cars, police say the much lower operating and maintenance costs is enough to justify the move.

To those arguing that the range of the model might not be enough to get the police to and from an incident, the department says their force currently averages 200 km per day (124 miles), while the maximum range of the model X is 500 km (310 miles).

“The requirements of the cantonal police can currently only be fulfilled by one supplier of electric vehicles on the market,” said the police in a statement.

The Model X was introduced by Tesla in 2015, to complete the offering together with the Model S sedan. The two are built on the same platform, the SUV is in essence a beefed-up version of the S.

It was chosen by Swiss police in part to just that: more storage space and a higher payload than the ICE cars currently in use.

The seven vehicles will be ready to enter service later this year, despite detractors claiming the money will be ill-spent on cars that have not been tested in everyday police use.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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