Amped Up: Electric cars able to outrun traditional cruisers prompt law enforcement to invest in their own (2024)

Police departments coast to coast are going electric — pursuing savings and efficiency along with bad guys

By Brendan Keefe and Emily Featherston

Published: Aug. 5, 2024 at 1:45 PM CDT

(Atlanta News First/InvestigateTV) – The Dodge Charger Pursuit, the gold standard among police cruisers, can accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in around 6.4 seconds — but many electric vehicles can make that speed in half that time, potentially out-running a police pursuit.

According to law enforcement testing, a 2024 Kia EV6 GT gets to 60 MPH in 3.2 seconds and has a higher top speed than a standard police car. The fastest Tesla models accelerate from zero to 60 MPH in well under three seconds. Several models, including the Rivian pick-up truck, can get to 60 MPH in two and a half seconds.

The concern among law enforcement is that when someone behind the wheel of one of those super-fast EVs chooses to flee, officers driving a gas-powered pursuit vehicle may be outmatched in acceleration.

And those concerns are not unfounded — controlled tests have shown electric vehicles easily outrunning even state troopers.

During a pursuit in West Memphis, Arkansas, a state trooper attempted a tactical vehicle immobilization technique known as a PIT maneuver twice in attempts to stop a fleeing Tesla Model Y, but both times the vehicle accelerated out of reach and was only stopped after driving over a tire-deflation device.

Departments across the country have begun adding EVs to their fleets — some going nearly all-electric — with officers clamoring to get behind the wheel of the new EVs because of the performance characteristics, and jurisdictions eyeing the significant cost savings over time.

Speed when seconds count

“This would be a great vehicle to have if you’re engaged in highway pursuits,” said Georgia Tech campus police lieutenant Jessica Howard. “Just because of how quickly it can get to that speed … this vehicle would definitely be my go-to if I was doing highway pursuits.”

Georgia Tech Police generally don’t engage in highway pursuits, but they do patrol an urban environment where seconds count when responding to high-priority calls. GTPD’s jurisdiction extends 500 yards beyond the campus border where they often respond along with the Atlanta Police Department.

A police chase in June near Georgia Tech sent Atlanta police officers after suspects in a shooting who were fleeing in a Tesla.

During the pursuit, officers briefly lost sight of the Tesla, which was exceeding speeds of 70 MPH on city streets. If not for a police helicopter tracking the vehicle — and heavy traffic that eventually stymied the suspects’ car causing the driver to lose control — officers may never have caught up with it.

Now, three new electric police cars are patrolling the school’s Atlanta campus, with the department assigning its new Mustang Mach-E GT models to patrol officers.

“It’s extremely fast,” Lt. Howard said as she sat behind the wheel of one unit.

From California to Maine, in both big cities and small towns, law enforcement departments are making a similar choice, with all-electric models increasingly patrolling the streets.

In some cases, the proof is in the pursuit: A Logan, Ohio police officer driving a Tesla Model Y was able to keep pace with a Ford Mustang for nearly 45 minutes before the officer decided to call off the chase for safety reasons. The suspect was not apprehended, and the owner later reported the Mustang stolen, but the officer’s dashboard camera captured his electric vehicle’s ability to accelerate quickly and keep pace with the muscle car.

Even the United States Department of Justice has looked at the pros and cons of transitioning to electric law enforcement vehicles.

Going and saving green

For some departments, the primary motivation behind adopting the use of electric vehicles is green, not mean.

Georgia Tech Police worked with a student group, Electrify GT, to find the best patrol car to meet Georgia Tech’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.

Multiple jurisdictions in Vermont have made use of state and federal environmental grants to invest in police EVs as the state pushes for lofty electric vehicle targets. And across the border, the Canadian government has moved to replace as many of the vehicles used by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as possible by 2035.

On top of the environmental benefits, EVs also save a lot of green when it comes to the budget.

Research from an environmental group in New Hampshire found taxpayer savings of $5,000 per year for each police vehicle replaced.

Georgia Tech estimates an almost $4,000 savings in fuel costs alone for each of its EVs.

Lifetime estimated maintenance costs are also half those of patrol cars powered by internal combustion engines due to the more simplistic design of electric motors.

The savings are easy to sell to the decision-makers and to taxpayers. The police department in Brookhaven, Georgia invested heavily in electric police cars after a pilot program that involved converting a seized Tesla into a police car that proved the efficiency and the savings of EVs.

Despite shortcomings, U.S. fleet continues to trend electric

The electric Mustangs do have some drawbacks compared with their internal combustion counterparts.

Charging requirements can create response issues — a Tesla Model S driven by a police officer in Fremont, California nearly ran out of battery in the middle of a pursuit. State highway patrol took over the high-speed chase, but the fleeing vehicle got away after the pursuit was “called off for safety.”

The driver was eventually caught by highway patrol while the Fremont officer charged his vehicle.

While noting that charging realities can create problems, Fremont has remained committed to its electric fleet.

Other problems are more specific to the interior design of electric vehicles — there’s often no room for a divider between the back seat and the officer behind the wheel, so officers in the EVs have to call another unit to transport arrestees.

Still, the tide appears to be turning.

Dodge recently discontinued the Charger which has been many police departments’ mainstay in favor of focusing on electric models, and it’s not clear what vehicle may replace the long-standing champion of departments nationwide.

Michigan State Police conduct an annual test of police vehicles that this year included only SUVs and pick-up trucks. For the first time in memory, there was no police patrol sedan in the test at all.

Two electric patrol cars bested the rest of the fleet in acceleration: Ford’s Mustang Mach-E GT and Chevrolet’s new Blazer EV Police Pursuit Vehicle. A hybrid gas/electric patrol car also performed well.

“I envision the entire fleet at some point will be electric,” Georgia Tech’s Lt. Howard said. “Over time, other departments will be on board with transitioning to electric vehicles, or a form of electric vehicle, including hybrids, as long as it’s effective and operational within their agencies.”

Copyright 2024 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

Amped Up: Electric cars able to outrun traditional cruisers prompt law enforcement to invest in their own (2024)

FAQs

Are electric cars going to be mandatory? ›

As part of the Advanced Clean Cars II regulations, all new passenger cars, trucks, and SUVs sold in California will be zero-emission vehicles by 2035.

What is the electric car law 2025? ›

Beginning January 1, 2025, the CEC must assess the uptime of EV charging stations. The assessment must include considerations for equitable access to EV charging stations in low-, moderate-, and high-income communities.

How does the government encourage electric cars? ›

The Federal Government has set a goal to make half of all new vehicles sold in the U.S. in 2030 zero-emissions vehicles, and to build a convenient and equitable network of 500,000 chargers to help make EVs accessible to all Americans for both local and long-distance trips.

Why police departments are beginning to adopt electric cars? ›

Police vehicles typically idle more than other vehicles when officers make traffic stops or respond to emergency calls, which greatly adds to emissions. The gasoline engines must continue to run—which creates pollution—just to power the cars' emergency lights, radios, and other crucial equipment used in police cars.

Are gas-powered cars going to be banned? ›

EPA's passenger vehicle rule will take effect very soon, starting with model year 2027 vehicles. The rule ends with model year 2032, at which point EPA's own compliance scenarios show new gas cars and trucks are likely to be limited to less than 30% of overall vehicle sales, down from more than 80% of sales today.

Why we should not go all electric cars? ›

Electric vehicles are not “zero” emissions—they create more emissions than internal combustion engine vehicles when they are produced, and they also cause emissions when they are charged, usually by burning fossil fuels.

Will electric cars last 10 years? ›

The battery packs of electric vehicles are quite resilient, with the lithium-ion type used in most modern EVs capable of lasting at least a decade before needing replacement.

What year will cars be fully electric? ›

EPA estimates that 56 percent of cars and light trucks will be fully electric by 2032 and 13 percent will be plug-in hybrids — which use a combination of batteries and gas. Other scenarios outlined by the agency show as few as 35 percent of sales being fully electric cars, along with 36 percent being plug-in hybrids.

What is the 2026 electric car law? ›

California's zero-emission rules will cut smog-causing pollution from light-duty vehicles by 25% by 2037. The rules mandate 35% of the new cars sold be plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV), EVs or hydrogen fuel cell by 2026. That proportion will rise to 68% by 2030 and 100% by 2035.

Why are electric cars not the future? ›

While bigger batteries allow drivers to travel farther between charges, they also make the cars heavier, more dangerous, more expensive, and worse for the planet. The "range anxiety" that has resulted in massive batteries is another reason EVs don't work as a replacement for gas cars.

Why are electric vehicles being pushed? ›

"I think, ultimately, the push is to reduce CO2 emissions," Tracy said. "That means independent of whatever method you used to get there, we've got to reduce emissions. So some automakers are focusing on hybrids, some automakers are focusing on electric cars.

Why no one wants electric cars? ›

High Maintenance and Repair Costs

EVs may require less maintenance than gas-powered cars, but when they need a repair, you can bank on paying a lot more than a standard car's repair. That's because EV parts are more expensive and harder to find, and there are very few mechanics that know how to work on EVs.

Why is everyone switching to electric cars? ›

Electric cars and trucks are better than gas-fueled vehicles because over the course of their lifetime they emit fewer carbon emissions. EVs create 3,932 pounds of carbon equivalent per year, compared to 11,435 for gas powered vehicles, according to calculations from the US Department of Energy.

Are police cars going electric? ›

South Pasadena on the edge of Los Angeles will replace its gas-guzzling police cruisers with the Teslas to help protect public health and fight climate change through reducing emissions. The Teslas will use new electric vehicle chargers installed at City Hall, officials said.

Will everyone have to switch to electric cars? ›

While electric cars will not be replacing gas-powered vehicles in the near future, the process of internal combustion engines becoming obsolete has already begun according to Kiplinger.

What states are mandating electric vehicles? ›

As of now, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, New Mexico, Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Maryland, and D.C. have adopted the EV mandates—13 states plus D.C. That splits the U.S. vehicle market into two nearly equal portions.

What state does not want electric cars? ›

And in a surprise finding the 10 states listed as the toughest to purchase an EV through are Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Should all cars be electric by 2050? ›

Today, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) projects that 50 percent of US passenger car sales could very well be electric by 2030. If that happens, EVs could make up 60 to 70 percent of the cars on US roads by 2050. Given the climate crisis, which seems to worsen every day, the sooner the better.

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