Police in city where Tesla is made will soon drive Model S patrol car

Fremont, Calif., in the San Francisco Bay Area is home to electric car company Tesla’s massive vehicle factory and it’ll soon be the home to what’s believed to be the first U.S. police department with a Tesla in its fleet.

Fremont police bought a used 2014 Tesla Model S 85 kWh battery version from Tesla a year ago. They have the bill to show it cost $61,478.50. Now after updating the vehicle with more than $4,000 in modifications to make it look and act like a police car with lights, a push bumper, interior prisoner seating and partition, and bulletproofing, the first Tesla patrol car is almost ready for its debut.

A police spokesperson told Mashable the car should be out on duty sometime in February. It’s replacing a 2007 Dodge Charger that was aging out. Fremont PD says police cars usually last about five years, but it’s hoping the electric vehicle will last longer. On a single charge the car can go about 265 miles. Police have installed charging infrastructure just for the Tesla.

The department bought the Tesla as part of program to reduce emissions from police vehicles. Since 2009, Fremont police have been transitioning from gas cars to hybrids with Toyota Prius and Ford Fusion patrol cars.

Other police departments are also all about zero-emission patrolling. In Basel, Switzerland, the force there has been showing off its modified Tesla Model X cars for police duty. On Jan. 18, they showed a patrol vehicle with falcon-wing doors up and its police insignia painted on the doors.

Fremont isn’t the first American police department to look into an all-electric vehicle. The Los Angeles Police Department was browsing for a fuel efficient vehicle in 2016 and looked into the BMW i3 and a Tesla Model S.

A few years later and LAPD’s electric dreams still haven’t plugged in, but Fremont police are charging ahead.