Teslas unusable for Law Enforcement Cali

K

Krieg

Joined
Jul 23, 2017
Messages
1,014
Location
Off World
California is all in on an electric future, planning to ban the sale of gas and diesel powered cars starting in 2035. To get ready for this brave new world some police departments started with buying a few Teslas. These departments immediately ran into serious problems using the vehicles as cruisers, such as a lack of charging infrastructure, inadequate interior space, expensive and lengthy retrofitting processes, interference from advanced driver safety assistance systems and more. Police Chief Cedric Crook for the Ukiah, California police department told San Francisco Gate he doesn’t think the department’s Model 3s will see action any time soon:

The car has other issues, namely size. Tesla back seats “only have room for one prisoner,” Crook said, limiting an officer’s ability to sequester suspects. With an all-Tesla police force, Crook believes incidents involving more than one party will require more officers to respond with more cars, putting strain on resources, all because of the tiny back seat.
Click to expand...


LINK

*Note the misspelling in title*
 
California is huge. What works in Truckee may not work for Mohave, etc. I would not be surprised it won't work in Ukiah, and definitely Model 3 is not what US typically consider cop car size.

However, let's not forget some have been using BMW i3 in the past so a Model 3 is not smaller. Some cities are also so small they can use a few municipal gov office car for administrative duty even a Leaf would work. I would not expect CHP to use even a model 3 for high speed chase (at least a Model S but that would be too expensive IMO).

Maybe they should use a few hybrids instead.
 
Local agency has 2 Model Ys that have been part of their pilot program for almost 2 years now with mixed results. Initially for maintenance cost reduction and to "go green" according to the chief. Officers I know that have tried them out are reserved in their enthusiasm for them. Both cars have been relegated to patrolling the mainly 25 MPH city areas for speed enforcement and are quite good at catching up to violators due to the acceleration. But thats about it. All of the electronics installed saps the power faster than normal and due to charging times, they are plugged in at night and not used. The city doesn't have much need for a vehicle capable of long pursuits, or need much room for prisoners due to low volume of arrests. But the folks I've spoken with still prefer a traditional ICE police vehicle for duty use for numerous reasons. Number one is range anxiety and having to go charge up right in the middle of doing something. Hard to break the psychological security of sticking a nozzle in a fuel tank and being ready to go again in a few minutes. Larger county agency says screw all that. Their large orders of Chargers and Hemi Durangos give EVs the middle finger 😁.
 
I don't see a pure EV, as they are in present form as a viable patrol car option. We tried and failed at not idling vehicles. Just wasn't conducive for my department so that temporary policy was negated rather quickly. It may work for other departments which was mentioned above. CA is pretty large! A hybrid could be a viable option. As I know it now there is no solution to simply long time idling with an EV. Lots will say this and that and it sounds great in theory but not so much in application.

Some of the arguments made are true but rather weak in application. The weakest is the size argument. Ford Taurus or Dodge Charger have plenty of room...NOT after all the :poop: is installed. Remember, RMP's are not designed as such so there is little to no integration and what integration has made it in, is anything but seamless. As a patrol boss I could not assign Taurus' or Charger' to multiple cops that were fat or over 6'2.

Overall cost is the largest hindrance, IMO. I can only speak to NY but it is hard to beat the state contract for Tahoe' and they have room for everything, solid 4WD system, etc.. Many of us would complete an expected lifetime analysis and determine an EV, hybrid, or ICE costs. Very few to almost NO government agency does that UNLESS they have a project they need to sell to a council or voters. Gov't is almost always kicking that can down the road!

Edit to add: I am not an EV fan for my use in my life. Not a good fit for me. BUT I see many excellent applications for EV' in Gov't. Water dept, DPW applications like a foreman vehicle, code enforcement, parking enforcement is a no-brainer IMO and many more.

That's my view on it and may not apply to your geographical area.
 
PandaBear said:
California is huge. What works in Truckee may not work for Mohave, etc. I would not be surprised it won't work in Ukiah, and definitely Model 3 is not what US typically consider cop car size.

However, let's not forget some have been using BMW i3 in the past so a Model 3 is not smaller. Some cities are also so small they can use a few municipal gov office car for administrative duty even a Leaf would work. I would not expect CHP to use even a model 3 for high speed chase (at least a Model S but that would be too expensive IMO).

Maybe they should use a few hybrids instead.
Click to expand...
Hybrids are great at saving fuel while parked with the air conditioning running.
 
alarmguy said:
Common sense said the cars are way too small. To think a car that almost qualifies as a compact will serve everyday duty as larger police SUVs and cars do.

The only use I see is for chase cars other than that, why? There is no need for them other than maybe a short list of specific use.
Click to expand...
Apparently this size thing only afflicts the US somehow.
 
Torrid said:
Apparently this size thing only afflicts the US somehow.
Click to expand...
Absolutely just the USA. Higher standard of living and policing in the world‘s greatest nation. We don’t need to downgrade.

I don’t see any facts and figures presented here as to the actual cars used.
It’s one of those dilemmas, if it’s posted in a forum it must be true.

Not only that, but we compare policing in a massive country like the USA against postage stamp countries with corresponding populations.

But let’s compare for one moment not that it matters but I read this article and I keep hearing the word spacious in the UK.🙃

https://factsabout.london/knowledge/what-cars-do-london-police-use/

Here is the whole shooting match
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/Police_cars_by_country#U
 
Last edited:
alarmguy said:
Absolutely just the USA. Higher standard of living and policing in the world‘s greatest nation. We don’t need to downgrade.

I don’t see any facts and figures presented here as to the actual cars used. It’s one of those dilemmas, if it’s posted in a forum it must be true.

Not only that, but we compare policing in a massive country like the USA against postage stamp countries with corresponding populations.

But let’s compare for one moment not that it matters but I read this article and I keep hearing the word spacious in the UK.😀

https://www.jointhecops.co.uk/police-car-guide/
Click to expand...

First car it mentions... Vauxhall Vectra? They haven't made them in 16 years! :ROFLMAO:
 
Bailes1992 said:
First car it mentions... Vauxhall Vectra? They haven't made them in 16 years! :ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...
Good post! Anybody could look up any country in the world.
I suspect it was a simple mistake. Vauxhall Astra should have been mentioned.

Bottom line is many posts in here are incorrect on vehicle size and it’s silly to discount the comments of police departments who say Teslas are to small.
Special use cases such as city streets, possible pursuit vehicles, meter maids but it ain’t gonna take over large police departments, impossible,
 
Last edited:
Cops need seats with room for their gun belts, sitting down. Carmakers have been generally terrible at providing this, throwing "room" and a bench seat at the problem.
 
Like everything else.. electric cars will get better for this purpose with time. We're so quick to dismiss electric vehicles as they enter a new segment and initially fall short of expectations. I can see police editions addressing these issues from major manufactures. Simple things like disabling safety features when emergency lights are activated, more room to accommodate duty belt, etc.

Considering most of these vehicles idle 90% of the time, there's a strong argument that electric is the way to go.
 
Last edited:
The Model 3 is exactly the same size as a Nissan Sentra. Which is to say, probably not ideal for a Police Cruiser.

I know a few Florida departments have experimented with Tesla vehicles, mostly Model Y's. I think they are generally liked.
 
We must not ignore another reason police departments are buying these vehicles are the US taxpayer. Not the local taxpayer are paying for them. So everything looks peachy on the surface but it is something to consider. I do agree EVs will fill a segment of vehicles for all uses in the USA and policing is one of them but they will never take over as the exclusive vehicle. Right now way to small, I also think of what can happen when a firebomb during a riot is thrown at one.

Ok but never mind that. An example is, from Washington DC the Tampa Florida police department was given one million dollars to buy Tesla's for its fleet. This happens all over the USA, so again, the US taxpayer is subsidizing EVs over gasoline. No police department on earth is going to turn down free cars and honestly they do have a purpose but it gets jaded a little bit when Washington DC federal taxpayer money is handed out to buy a certain vehicle over another.

https://www.wfla.com/news/hillsboro...ent-unveils-first-batch-of-electric-vehicles/

We also know during times of hurricanes those EVs might very well be taken off the road and moved to high ground. ;)
 
Last edited:
Some rinky dink(16k) town’s police chief determines the viability of a vehicle type for what could easily be a standalone country/economy in the world.

😂

The answer fully depends on locale which CA is massive. I don’t believe any of vehicles they offer were ever intended for police duty just worked out. The exception is Crown Vic and Impala except they were hot garbage for example in snow/ice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom