British police test Tesla cars as fleets prepare to go electric | Electric, hybrid and low-emission cars

British police have tested Tesla cars as part of a campaign to further electrify their fleet, and the results so far are promising, according to a Tesla spokesperson.

The first results show “excellent results” regarding the suitability of the company’s Model 3 vehicle for emergency service operation, said Max Toozs-Hobson, chief emergency services officer at Tesla.

He told the Guardian that although the UK’s average blue light race time was seven to 15 minutes, the Model 3 was able to compete in races that lasted four hours on active deployment under conditions advanced driving, and stated that “it is possible to do over 200 miles of advanced blue light driving with the [Model 3]”.

Positive results could lead to more Tesla Model 3 cars being adopted by UK police, paramedics and firefighters.

The test began earlier this year when the electric car company offered UK police a modified, delivered version of its Model 3. The test comes as UK police seek to invest in more electric cars ahead of a ban government of 2030 on new diesel and gasoline. motor vehicles.

Tesla made a number of adaptations to the car, but according to Toozs-Hobson, the systems did not impact the car lineup. Running automatic license plate recognition for three hours would take less than a few miles of range from the car, he said, and the LED lights could run for days without a battery.

The charging system was successful. Toozs-Hobson said he “joined a traffic unit that got into the car with only 80 miles of range. We pulled over to a V3 supercharger and gained 70% horsepower in under 20 minutes.” This gave us another 5-6 hours of driving for the shift, plus this filling costs less than £ 20 ”.

However, not all trial results were positive. Toozs-Hobson criticized the light bars found on emergency vehicles, saying they were like “running with a parachute”. He suggested incorporating police lights into the cabin of the car, like many unmarked police cars, which he said would reduce the drag and decrease in value of the car resulting from the piercing of the car. holes in the roofs of vehicles.

The Tesla Model 3 Performance, the type of vehicle that would have been used in these tests, is more expensive than non-electric or hybrid high-performance equivalents. A Tesla Model 3 Performance is available from £ 59,990, while a BMW 3 Series Sedan costs almost half to £ 33,250. However, high up-front costs can also be associated with lower operating costs, reducing the total cost of the vehicle over its lifetime.

Toozs-Hobson said the public response to Tesla’s active units had been “breathtaking” and the company would continue to work with law enforcement ahead of the 2030 combustion engine ban.

A government spokesperson said: ‘Over the next few years the police forces of England and Wales will play an important role in realizing the government’s net zero carbon ambition through the Decarbonization Program. police services ”. He added that “some forces have already made significant progress in decarbonizing their fleet”.