The LAPD Is Not Ready to Switch to Teslas Just Yet

Tesla’s electric cars have proven themselves to be quite practical for regular users, but it would appear that agencies such as the Los Angeles Police Department are not quite ready to make the switch to these vehicles. The LAPD has reached this conclusion after its officers have used two Tesla Model S cars as police cruisers for a whole year, and it’s worth pointing out that this decision was largely made because of high costs and the lack of charging stations. This means that the department has not given up on the idea of using EV cruisers completely, but since one Tesla S would cost $100,000, it’s understandable why the Police would have a hard time replacing the trusty $30,000 Ford Explorer.

Moreover, having an all-electric vehicle fleet would come with its own set of risks as natural disasters could very well disable charging stations thus crippling the department’s capabilities to respond. Still, LAPD Administrator Vartan Yegiyan expressed his optimism when talking about the future of EV in law enforcement, especially since the introduction of the $35,000 Tesla Model 3 makes things a lot more appealing price-wise. His exact words were the following:

“[over] the next three to five years… not only will the industry push toward electrification, 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 be in the space learning and contributing to the process.”