Recently, the Los Angeles Police Department used BMW i3s for authoritative tasks. Now, it seems like the Model S will be the first electric car that will be used for regular police duty, as there have been reports that the LAPD is working with Tesla to produce a Model S patrol car.
Assistant commander of the Administrative Services Bureau that oversees the vehicles of the LAPD, Vartan Yegiyan, said the recent deployment of i3s had been successful but that they were added for non-emergency duty including administrative travel, reported from Carscoops.
Moreover, BMW i3s range is at 81 miles /130 km and electric motor used up 168 hp, The LAPD is searching for Electric option for patrol cars. Considering the Tesla Model S' powerful range and insanely fast speed, it would actually be a very effective patrol car.
Apart from this, the Model S, which runs on a full electric motor, is also extremely silent, making it ideal for high-speed pursuits. According to Digital Trends, the LAPD pointed out that it's testing the Model S to gather information about long-range electric cars and that it realistically will never operate a fleet of them due to the sedan's high price tag.
The average patrol car costs about $47,500 once it's been painted and fitted with crime-fighting equipment. In comparison, the cheapest Model S available new today is the 60D, which offers 218 miles of range and costs $66,000 before incentives are factored in.
Though the LAPD already operates dozens of unmarked BMW i3s but mostly used to emergencies or during an investigation. It is still unconfirmed if and when the LAPD would add more Teslas to its fleet. If the LAPD does start rolling out Model S patrol cars in the near future, police chases would probably be over a lot faster than ever before.
