So, I'm on another forum and we are talking about squeaky brakes in a patrol car, and my personal ideals aside; what about a Model S cop car? (I assume) the patrol car starts and ends it's shift at the police station (perfect charge point, may even have 480v), you could sneak up on criminal activity. You don't have to leave it idling all day (or ever) to get heat or A/C. You can 0-60 in 3.0, it's AWD, and has a 5.4 crash rating! What about the Model S (or soon X) isn't a perfect use case for a cop car? Can anyone do up some graphics of a Model S as a police car? Do police cars go over 250 miles/day? If they did, can they not radio for backup? Between fuel savings, oil changes, and other obsolete crap, not to mention the cool factor, why not?!
For a proper patrol car, you really want more length in the rear seat area, and a fixed rear seat with an actual trunk rather than a hatchback. You need enough room to easily get uncooperative handcuffed people into the backseat *after* installing a barrier between the seats, and a way to block them out of the trunk space (though a lot of the traditional trunk items could probably go in the Frunk instead.) We don't know a whole lot about the X yet, but from what we do know it would probably be a lot more suitable in stock form - and could pretty easily be modified to be very suitable, with a single fixed rear bench and divider behind it. The huge Falcon Door opening would certainly make life easier...
A lot of old police cars become taxis in their next life. The Model S would be excellent there too, after the police were done with them. Just make sure the police stay away from the 21" rims. They would be destroyed in a few days of police duty. Here's a link to a picture for ya. http://s1.cdn.autoevolution.com/images/news/tesla-model-s-police-car-could-come-to-silicon-valley-70500_1.jpg
POLICE INTERCEPTOR (repost)) Tesla “Model P” – a compelling case for Model S in Police fleets tesla police cruisers Atherton, California city manager wants Model S as Police Cruisers Model S as a special purpose car
Somewhere on TMC is another thread about this from a few years ago. In the thread someone cited a white paper that a police department drafted, showing that most of the fuel a police car consumes is done so while idling. The Model S would be ideal in that regard, as it uses so little energy while "idling."
There are lots of specialized vehicles that should be electric. At big sporting events, look for the ambulances that are sitting there idling all day. Once prices come down, look for an explosion of battery vehicle types...
The P85D could be a great "interceptor" e.g. "catch and detain" NOT a sheriff's car to transport to jail... that car will lag behind a minute or two!
Way too luxurious and expensive for cops their job is not to have "cool factor"...only if it's not on tax payer dollars and they buy it themselves. Otherwise model 3s for the Popo... Better yet give them Chevy volts How often are police actually in need of serious performance?? Most of what they do involves catching motorists off guard or sneaking up on them at highway speeds.
Sure, and when it gets a dent it costs about 30,000 Dollars to repair and it's six weeks in the shop.
If you've ever seen a US cop car up close, I don't think dents are a concern... My friend's car does however had a ballistics panel in the driver's door to stand behind!
Found another pic of the same car. But this time with everyone's by far favorite wheel choice – The Aero Wheels! :wink: Anyone know where this is? Source: Blingwheels: The Sheriff's new ride is a Tesla Model S Edit: Image search points in the direction of this car being a TV/movie prop...
Snap! It even looks good in police pattern paint. I'm hoping for a short 'test' of said loaned vehicle and a quick 'buy a bunch'.
I think it's very cool and a definite landmark that an electric vehicle has made its way into the police force. I think it attests to Tesla'a performance and quality that the state spent bought such an expensive car for their force. However, I'm not sure this is the best look for Tesla's brand perception in the long run. Nobody wants to drive police cars and I think it slightly diminishes the perception around the luxury of the product. What does everybody think?
A bit, but then police cars mostly just sit around at donut shops, right? :wink: - - - Updated - - - The LAPD didn't buy the car, it's on loan for testing purposes. Lots of people drive makes of cars that have been/are used as police vehicles, Crown Vic, Torino, Mustang, Camaro, Caprice, Taurus, Impala, Charger... Plus Model S is a 'premium' vehicle, not a 'luxury' vehicle. If Tesla can sell fleets of Model S's for police cars, I think it would be awesome for a lot of reasons.
I noted in particular the lack of spotlights on the A-pillars and wondered if they were sacrificed so they didn't drag the car down more. I think this is going to be rare, I really doubt you're going to see huge fleets of Model S's like the Chevy Impala. That said, I know a lot of Dodge Charger R/T drivers and the topic of them driving police cars doesn't seem to come up too much. - - - Updated - - - Here's an article and a link to the announcement: Breaking: LAPD Adds Tesla Model S P85D And BMW i3 To Police Fleet - Art of Gears