Yahoo Autos The LAPD Plans to Outfit a Tesla Model S as an Actual Patrol Car
Last year, Tesla gave the Los Angeles Police Department two Model S P85Ds to evaluate for potential police use. At the time, the department said it planned on eventually testing how the Model S performed as a patrol car. It may have taken a little while, but it looks like a Model S patrol car will finally see service.
NBC Los Angeles reports that the LAPD has reached an agreement with Tesla to outfit one of its cars with all the equipment needed to turn it into a patrol car. It'll get everything from radios and a computer to a custody cage and a locking shotgun rack. The Model S will then be used to respond to emergencies just like other patrol cars. It could even be used as a high-speed pursuit vehicle.
Regardless of how well it performs, don't expect to see the LAPD replace its entire patrol fleet with Teslas any time soon. Depending on which version you want, a Model S can easily cost $100,000, and that's before it's outfitted as a patrol car. But when electric cars eventually become more affordable, the LAPD wants to be ready to make the switch.
The department's already adopted a fleet of 100 BMW i3s. Originally, they were intended for administrative travel, but NBC Los Angeles reports they proved popular enough that officers use them to respond to crime scenes and during investigations. And while the i3 costs more than a conventional police car, the total operating costs are said to be about 15 percent lower.
But even if the Model S offers similar savings in operating costs, the price tag is still going to have to come down drastically before it has a chance to see widespread use. Lower battery costs will help, but for now, the LAPD thinks it will be at least five years before it can justify replacing conventional patrol cars with electric ones.
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