EVs as police vehicles

[Tulecreeper]

The average cop drives a police vehicle on the job around 75 miles per day in an average ten-hour shift. The average speed is 35 MPH. That will be around 100 miles more than the advertised range on most EVs. Teslas get the best range at 38 MPH, (add 100 miles of range to their estimate, which is at 65 MPH). It will vary a little between different EVs, but city driving always gives a better range in an EV. But just as with ICE, the city range will lower if they accelerate fast a lot.

They will probably need to charge around one time per week. I doubt charging will be any hassle at all. But there are many choices. One long charge per week or several short charges every few days or whatever.

Add juice as needed, when convenient. It's rare to need to "fill up" an EV, or two run them down very low.

-Don- Auburn, CA

Maybe a city cop only drives 35 miles in a shift, but when I worked for Butte County SO it was about that far to the far edge of my patrol area on the east side of the county and it took about 1 hour 20 minutes to get there. And in those days, on the midnight shift there were only 2 of us on duty all night.

 

[ex-member]

You can’t be out on patrol or on call while charging. Many police have cars per person so it could work charging while they are off duty. But there are risks there as well.

I don’t know. I’m sure it changes from department to department. But here the min you would have in a gas tank is 3/8 of a tank. If one did the same with a battery at most a supercharge would be 15 minutes. (At least for our car).

Just sayin, I think some people think it takes hours to charge these things.

Jmho.

 

[tlmgcamp1]

My concern would be that EV's cannot be "re-fueled" on a moments notice. As municipalities struggle to support themselves, their ability to have spare cars ready to go may be traded off for a political talking point that "I pledge not to raise taxes".

 

[John From Detroit]

Are you familiar with TI's Rat System? I can't find a word about it on the web. Perhaps it's now an outdated system. "RAT" was an acronym, but I forgot what the letters stood for.

Never heard of that specific system but well.. Lots of "Tracker"devices.. Heck you can buy 'em from amazon now days.

But this was 1990s so we just parked a heilcopter over the bank and followed them from the air.. Worked very well... There are some others I know.


One Dude had a foolproof plan.. Escape on foot through the woods to his car parked on the other side so they would not see his car.. Problem was.. As he's running from bank.> Bag in hand, Still wearing the stocking... A police Sgt. is walking the reverse path going TO the bank to cash his pay check... He's looking at the bank robber.. WHAM Robber hits an unexpected.... Police Sgt Linebacker... And back to the bank.. He went. Used to have coffee with the Sgt.

 

[DonTom]

My concern would be that EV's cannot be "re-fueled" on a moments notice.

Should never have the need. When I worked for the CIty & County of San Francisco, the department I worked for had a policy to fill up all the ICE vehicles by a half tank. That leaves plenty of range when there is no time in case of an emerginy or whatever.

Can do the same with EVs. BTW, even at home I recharge by 50% SOC.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[DonTom]

.. Lots of "Tracker"devices.. Heck you can buy 'em from amazon now days.

Yes, but this one didn't use the GPS system. The cop cars all had three antennas and could use direct antenna triangulation and HQ got the signal on a large map to follow the vehicle to report its approximate location to get the cops within range.

I cannot remember much about the RAT system as we did NOT maintain most of it. It was maintained mostly by Texas Instruments, who then installed the system.

-Don- Auburn, CA

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[Mr Lars]

Keep in mind, all the lights, electronics and computers is modern day police/sheriff squad cars. The reason they leave idling when they out on foot is to keep the batteries charged. Can you imagine a EV fleet of squads working a crime scene, or an accident for several hours with all those lights flashing, computers, radios blaring, then time to go, and ppffftt. Nothing.

 

[ex-member]

Keep in mind, all the lights, electronics and computers is modern day police/sheriff squad cars. The reason they leave idling when they out on foot is to keep the batteries charged. Can you imagine a EV fleet of squads working a crime scene, or an accident for several hours with all those lights flashing, computers, radios blaring, then time to go, and ppffftt. Nothing.

Meh. You can keep the heat or air conditioning on in an EV for days. LED lights and computers are a small load compared to that.

Here is a little blurb on the west shore Mounties EV fleet. Back to back 12 hour shifts for 18 months with their tesla model Y.

 

[DonTom]

Keep in mind, all the lights, electronics and computers is modern day police/sheriff squad cars. The reason they leave idling when they out on foot is to keep the batteries charged. Can you imagine a EV fleet of squads working a crime scene, or an accident for several hours with all those lights flashing, computers, radios blaring, then time to go, and ppffftt. Nothing.

No need if an EV. Just keep the motor off. Keep everything else on. An EV is a big advantage here.

My Tesla has an 80KWH battery to keep the 12-volt battery fully charged. No need to drive for this, car can be off. That means I can draw 8,000 watts for ten hours if fully charged to start before it even starts to go dead from the 12-volt battery discharge. An EV battery can handle many times the full load of a cop car with all the stuff on MUCH better than any ICE vehicle.

Of course, all the stuff running in a cop car is only a few hundred watts. Keep it all on for a week or so! And no need to pollute the air with a running engine!

They can also design it even if it does happen, that everything shuts off at 20% SOC except for the motor, so it will still drive 60 miles or so. That is the way the stock Teslas are if I leave the stock A/C on for countless hours while parked. Kinda like the way the RV Gennys shut off at 20% in RVs.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[DonTom]

You can keep the heat or air conditioning on in an EV for days.

Yeah, many people do not understand the power of an EV battery. My Tesla Powerwall here can run this entire house for quite a while and it is only 13.5 KWH. Smaller than my largest electric motorcycle (22.5 KWH).

I guess Mr. Lars never heard of bidirectional charging to keep a house running for several days during a power outage. Like the big one they had in Texas a few years ago.

In my case, the power is there, but that is all. Not all EVs are designed for bidirectional use.

And my 2018 Tesla M3 is 80 KWHs. About six times better than my Tesla Powerwall!

This is one area where EVs are VERY superior to ICE for the cops. EVs do have cop issues, but this is NOT one of them!

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[John From Detroit]

Yes, but this one didn't use the GPS system.

Neither does either Lojac or Teletrc (Two systems I've worked with)

There is one more I have seen demonstrated and a few more I've read about.
NONE of which used GPS.

Keep in mind, all the lights, electronics and computers is modern day police/sheriff squad cars. The reason they leave idling when they out on foot is to keep the batteries charged. Can you imagine a EV fleet of squads working a crime scene, or an accident for several hours with all those lights flashing, computers, radios blaring, then time to go, and ppffftt. Nothing.

Even with the engine idling I've see it happen. Battery ran down so far the radio stopped transmitting when they called... I told them how to get the radio to work and how to fix it. (I am a HIGHLY trained Radio Operator) THey drove several miles without stopping and allwas good.

 

[old RV guy]

Please remember the following text:

YES, police cars have come a long way from just being a "C.A.R." The interior is all about protection and communication equipment. The rear end must be able to withstand a 70MPH impact without harming the officer. The doors and glass are all unique, with a cage for the lawbreakers to ride in relative comfort. The fuel range, additional fuel tanks, and everything under the hood is built to last up to 100,000 miles. The tires require 5 to 10 pounds of air for sliding sideways to keep the wheel on special rims, along with heavy-duty radiators and much more.

Electric vehicles are already too heavy for police vehicles, and what if you have to chase someone driving on a beach? They will blow up. This is not a joke, as a police vehicle should be a safe place for both officers and the public, with specially locked doors that cannot be opened from the inside.

All of the above is just the tip of the iceberg, as more is required today. Otherwise, departments and cities may find themselves in a court of law by police unions for putting both the public and officers at risk. Also, police officers do not hold protest marches, sadly.

So are there a lot of high speed pursuits on the beach in your area?

 

[Dusty Traveler]

"Haha... "Onylef," I think my point went right over your head, as did the discussion of electric vehicles being used outside of this country. Police vehicles, in general, are manufactured far away from where they will be used. Simply put, when they arrive for duty in any city in the USA, they may even have to patrol beach areas and parks near salt water. So, my comment is generally applicable. If I were to say that a police vehicle performs "selective enforcement," you may not understand that it means just sitting alongside the roadway to perform a job that any car cannot do. But if you think an electric vehicle (EV) is the answer, you have to consider the whole country and where it will be used for its intended purpose. Safety for the public and the officers sitting inside by the roadside is important. Every city that purchases a patrol car wants to get its money's worth from the investment."

 

[old RV guy]

"Haha... "Onylef," I think my point went right over your head, as did the discussion of electric vehicles being used outside of this country. Police vehicles, in general, are manufactured far away from where they will be used. Simply put, when they arrive for duty in any city in the USA, they may even have to patrol beach areas and parks near salt water. So, my comment is generally applicable. If I were to say that a police vehicle performs "selective enforcement," you may not understand that it means just sitting alongside the roadway to perform a job that any car cannot do. But if you think an electric vehicle (EV) is the answer, you have to consider the whole country and where it will be used for its intended purpose. Safety for the public and the officers sitting inside by the roadside is important. Every city that purchases a patrol car wants to get its money's worth from the investment."

I'm not all that smart, but if I were in charge of purchasing police vehicles for high speed beach pursuits in Miami, I might purchase a different police vehicle than the type they buy in Dallas. I'd get on the phone and say something like, "see where I highlighted our address?" .

 

[Dusty Traveler]

I remember reading a news story some years ago about rear-end vehicle crashes, which I believe was from the Dallas, Texas, Police Department. The story was about Ford Crown Victoria police cars being rear-ended, resulting in the deaths of the officers. As a result, the police department sought a more sturdy vehicle. The Ford Explorer used by the police if different from the ones available for purchase at Ford dealerships. It is a certified police vehicle equipped with the latest safety features. This police version of the Explorer has undergone extensive development and addresses many of the safety concerns of law enforcement in various applications. If you're interested, you can search the internet for more details on police fleet vehicles to learn about their requirements. Let me know if you do find anything on the Police Fleet Vehicles.

A 2020 video of the Ford Explorer as a CP Fleet vehicle​

 

[John From Detroit]

Many police vehicles are made in, or near Detroit, MI. And the Michigan State holds a regular "Demolition Derby" (Not the official name) They select troopers from a list of those who express a desire (Generally along list) and they all to to a race track...Like the MIS track near the Irish Hills.

There the manufactures show up with Police Car Candidates. all decked out and mechanics and the Troopers drive the wheels off 'em (So as to say) They track cost of operation INCLUDING cost of repair.

Then the troopers write up each car as to handling and comfort. And they put it all together over at the bean counter table. Cost to purchase. Operate, Maintain, Repair and Trooper rating.

And come up with next year's MSP car.

Many other departments... Attend.

 

[Mr Lars]

We had a bad issue with usps continuing to deliver mail for past residents of our address. Even after 2 years, usps kept doing it. Several trips to the post office with bundles of other peoples mail, finally said ‘screw it’ anything without our name, gets tossed in the trash. Don’t care if it looks a personal invitation from the Queen/King, it meets the trash bin.