LAPD Says It's Testing Tesla For Use As 'High-Pursuit-Rated' Police Cruiser
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — An LAPD official provided some additional details Wednesday on the police department's ongoing testing of a Tesla Model S.
LAPD Police Administrator Vartan Yegiyan told CNBC in an interview that the LAPD is evaluating the car "not only on the regular transportation side, but also [for] the future in the high-pursuit-rated vehicle arena."
The Tesla Model S P85D has been on loan from the electric vehicle maker since September. The car's list price is $105,000. It can go from 0 to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds if it is retrofitted with a $5,000 "Ludicrous" battery, according to Tesla.
The LAPD was also loaned a BMW i3. The department has previously purchased 23 electric scooters and three electric motorcycles for use by patrol officers, as part of the city's commitment to build out its electric vehicle fleet.
Mayor Eric Garcetti has said the city is committed to leasing 160 pure battery EV vehicles – to be used by the LAPD, Los Angeles City Fire, General Services and LADWP – to replace aging city vehicles, giving Los Angeles the largest city-owned EV fleet in the country.
Still, Yegiayan said, Teslas are too expensive to be practical for now.
"Is it practical now? No," Yegiyan told CNBC. "But prices will drop on vehicles. More models will be coming out, and the electricity and electrical grid will become more robust, and more charging stations will be available. While that's occurring we'll be in the space learning and contributing to the process."
