Yahoo Autos The California Highway Patrol Is Testing Lucid Air Police Cruisers
The California Highway Patrol could be branching out into the world of electric cop cars soon enough. At least, that's according to a recent social media post from Lucid Motors, one that reveals Erik Estrada's favorite law enforcement agency is testing out a Lucid Air cruiser.
Currently, the California Highway Patrol operates Ford Explorers, Dodge Chargers, and a fleet of BMW motorcycles, so the battery-powered Lucid would mark quite the departure from the gas-powered fleet. Details remain sparse about all the modifications made to the electric police cruiser, but from the images, it's clear the Lucid Air received a classic black-and-white paint job for its shift with the 5-0, and has also been fitted with police lights, a crash bar, and a proper public address system. A proper set of shiny steel wheels has been fitted to the sleek EV, as well.
Ranging from 420 hp for the base model Lucid Air to 1234 hp for the Lucid Air Sapphire, the power band of the Air range should be plenty for the infamous law enforcement agency. (Car chases may be a California staple, but a 0-100-mph-in-3.8-second EV should be enough of a deterrent for even the fastest motorcycles.) Plus, the Lucid Air's mileage range of 406-480 miles should be plenty to handle even a strenuous shift.
Lucid did say it believes its combination of range, interior and cargo space, and performance are uniquely suited to law enforcement applications. A source inside Lucid told Road & Track this is the second year that the Newark, California-based company has participated in testing with the California Highway Patrol. Other law enforcement agencies across America are also beginning to implement EVs in their fleet, including the NYPD's Ford Mustang Mach-E cruisers and the Menlo Park Police Department's Tesla cruisers.
It remains unclear just how close CHP is to adopting Lucid Air cruisers for patrol use, however, as well as how much such a vehicle would cost or what version of Lucid's powertrain it would use. We've reached out to CHP's media relations team to gain more insight into the testing regiment, and will update this story if we hear back.
According to a Facebook post by the Fleet Operations division of CHP, however, the agency is currently engaged in its 2025 Police Vehicle Evaluation event, showing off models old and new. On the newer end of things, the CHP is putting a series of domestically produced pickups (including a Chevrolet Silverado EV) as well as the Lucid Air and Ford Mustang Mach-E through their paces at their dedicated training track in West Sacramento, California.
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