Two new special loaners were added today to the Los Angeles Police Department’s (LAPD) fleet, including a stupidly fast Tesla Model S P85D and the less impressive, but rather cute –for lack of a better word- BMW i3.
In factory trim, the former has 691hp for a zero to 60mph (96km/h) in 3.2 seconds, while the latter, pushes out 170hp for a 7.0-second sprint time.
The two electric cars will be used for evaluation purposes, with the police department stating: “These vehicles will be used for testing and research by LAPD technical experts to determine how this technology can support their future needs.”
They’re part of a broader plan to give Los Angeles the biggest city-owned pure EV fleet in America, with Mayor Eric Garcetti announcing a commitment to lease 160 battery-electric vehicles for the Los Angeles Police, Fire, General Services, and Water and Power departments, with 100 of those units to be employed by the police. Furthermore, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADPW) and General Services Department will lease an additional 128 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
“Today, we take another step toward becoming the most sustainable city in America,” said Mayor Garcetti. “This year, Los Angeles will become home to the largest city-owned fleet of pure battery electric vehicles anywhere in the country, and we will save taxpayer dollars along the way.”
Currently, the LAPD has purchased 23 electric scooters and 3 electric motorcycles that are used by patrol officers. The mayor’s plan requires that electric vehicles amount to 50 percent of the City’s annual light-duty vehicle purchases by 2017, and 80 percent of the city’s vehicle fleet purchases by 2025.
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