California Police Say Teslas Are Almost Worthless

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A big deal has been made about law enforcement agencies buying Teslas to use as police cruisers, including one department switching to only Elon Musk’s EVs. However, a new report shines a light on deficiencies in Teslas as cop cars, with some police chiefs saying they’re almost worthless thanks to several issues.

Watch a suspect fleeing police in a Tesla get taken out by a dinosaur car.

What’s concerning to law enforcement agencies in California is there’s still a mandate signed by Governor Gavin Newsom that all new passenger cars sold in the state will be zero-emission by 2035. That was four years ago and some police chiefs SF Gate spoke to in Northern California don’t have nice things to say about Teslas as cop cars.

Considering there aren’t a lot of viable electric vehicle options out there for police to use, Tesla is sadly one of the best at the moment.

Among the criticisms of Teslas as police cars was the assessment they’re too small. EV fanboys might laugh and say cops need to stop eating donuts, but one police chief pointed out the Model 3 backseat can only accommodate one prisoner versus two in other options like the Dodge Charger or Chevy Tahoe.

What’s more, police officers have struggled with getting in and out of Teslas while wearing their duty belts and bulletproof vests. Make all the fat jokes you want, traditional automakers use special seats and other accommodations in pursuit models for this reason.

That brings us to the next problem: cost. The same police chief found the two Tesal Model 3s purchased by his department cost almost $150,000 each one they were upfitted for patrol duty. Tesla doesn’t offer its vehicles ready for law enforcement, and there’s only one aftermarket company which will do the work. That means higher prices, thanks to no competition.

Another department realized Teslas don’t do well leaving the roadway, hopping curbs, and negotiating other obstacles in a pursuit. Many cop cars are modified for those routine duties, leaving Teslas at a serious disadvantage.

Range is a bigger deal to cops than even your average person. After all, they’re transporting prisoners, sometimes hundreds of miles, so stopping to refuel is risky business. In a regular patrol car that can be accomplished in under five minutes, but with a Tesla it’s at least 20 minutes, greatly increasing the risk of a dangerous situation unfolding.

We know that in a shootout, the safest place for cover behind a vehicle is the engine block. While there are rounds which will go through one, those are uncommon, so police are trained to crouch behind that portion of their patrol cars. But with an EV there’s nothing to stop most gunfire. We admittedly didn’t even think about that disconcerting fact.

Even Autopilot presents problems for law enforcement. It reportedly causes a delay when the driver shifts from park into drive, not ideal in panic situations. And it tries to automatically apply the brakes when officers pull off to the side of the road, outside of established lane lines.

Finally, one police chief said he prefers the Ford Lighting over Teslas because few know how to work on Teslas, meaning if there’s a problem they’re out of service for much longer. That’s lost productivity for the police force, directly impacting the community.

For now, South Pasadena Police Department is the only law enforcement agency in California to switch its entire fleet to all-electric vehicles. It specifically chose Teslas, something the media went wild about praising. However, that police department has a unique situation, so the demands other law enforcement agencies face it quite simply doesn’t.

It sounds like other law enforcement agencies are going to struggle with Newsom’s all-electric vehicle mandate, especially if Teslas are still the most popular EVs on the market by then.

Images via South Pasadena Police Department/Facebook

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