This Police Department is Using a Tesla as a Patrol Car – Here’s How it’s Working

Imagine a world where Tesla never came along. The company has really only been making mass-produced vehicles since about 2012. However, I think that it’s safe to say that without them, we would be nowhere near where we are with electric vehicles. The conversation about switching over to electric wouldn’t be any more than a gimmick as it was before Tesla started competing in the space.

The company originally started out as a luxury automaker. However, since it’s inception, the plan has always been the same. Tesla plans on moving from the smaller high-end market of luxury automobiles and widening it with every step that they take. This means that eventually, down the road, in a perfect world, Tesla would expand to affordable economy cars and vehicles that can serve municipalities.

Even though we haven’t quite gotten there yet, it seems as if some police departments have been early adopters of electric technology. Let’s just say that, while electric technology does have a lot of promise in this sort of role, it also comes with a pretty big learning curve. At the end of the day, police departments are very demanding on their fleet and a Tesla would have to live up to a high expectation.

Below, with the help of Now You Know, we dive pretty deep into exactly that concept. With major considerations including things like range, performance, and even the ability to power lighting, the Tesla is going to have to do a little bit of adapting. It wasn’t exactly designed as a utility vehicle, after all.

As the front runners on adopting electric technology for police vehicles, all eyes seem to be planted on the Westport Police Department. Their success or lack thereof with the Tesla Model 3 might spell out the future of policing with the help of electric vehicles.