TESLA has developed an Emergency Model 3 that is being tested by the UK Police, Fire Brigade and other emergency services.
The test vehicle, decorated by industrial supplier Halls, is intended to help rescue workers reduce their emissions as part of the government’s Road to Zero strategy, which aims to reduce emissions from road traffic.
As part of the strategy published in July 2018, the emergency services are aiming to switch to a purely electric fleet by 2030.
The UK government has announced that a quarter of its central fleet will be ultra-low-emission by 2022, with that figure expected to rise to 100% by 2030 when the sales ban on new gasoline and diesel cars goes into effect.
A Freedom of Information request submitted by Air Quality News last year found that only 1% of the Department of Transportation’s 1,860-strong fleet is electric, while 71% run on diesel.
Tesla says it believes the Model 3 – its entry-level car – is perfect for improving the environmental performance of public service vehicles through use by police and other emergency services.
The Long Range AWD model can travel 360 miles between charges, it should be noted, although high-speed travel will inevitably reduce that range significantly. However, it can be charged quickly on the latest 250 kW Tesla superchargers, with up to 120 km of charging time achieved in 5 minutes at speeds of up to 1,000 mph.
The Model 3 Long Range is certainly not lacking in performance and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km / h in 4.2 seconds – just like a new BMW M3 sports sedan. And with all-wheel drive, it is ideally suited for wet and slippery conditions. The Model 3 Performance version with two motors is even faster and can reach 60 mph in 3.1 seconds from a standstill.
Road police officers should also be well protected: Tesla points out that Model 3 has been rated five stars by the European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) and a score of 74% for the safety of road users at risk.
Despite the Model 3 Long Range’s whopping £ 48,490 price tag, it saves emergency services money, the automaker claims, due to the minimal maintenance and cost savings of charging a car with electricity rather than gasoline or diesel. Between 2011 and 2014, police forces spent £ 128 million repairing and maintaining their vehicle fleets – enough money to buy around 2,940 Long Range Model 3s at MSRP.
Electric cars tend to require less maintenance than internal combustion engines because they have far fewer moving parts – however, some components, such as tires, can wear out faster. A 2018 study found that electric cars were 23% cheaper to maintain over a three-year period.
If the emergency services in the UK added the Model 3 to their vehicle fleet, it would find itself in the company of a number of American and European police forces who have done the same. The armed forces in Indiana, Connecticut, New York, and California all have Teslas in their fleets, and Westport, Connecticut police claimed they saw the $ 15,000 (£ 10,600) price difference between the standard Ford Explorer police vehicle and the Model 3 would have made up for it within a year and would save enough to buy another Tesla within four years.
To the delight of Tesla boss Elon Musk, the police in Switzerland decided to use the Model X as a police vehicle:
The Swiss police are smart. Electricity vs. diesel & maintenance more than make up for the difference in purchase price. Besides, the bad guys will definitely not escape. That’s worth a lot … https://t.co/fE6zmM8C3F
– Elon Musk, the 2nd (@elonmusk) March 22, 2018
The UK police have already started adding electric cars to their fleet. Neon-colored BMW i3s have become a familiar sight on the streets of UK cities, while the Metropolitan Police also have a fleet of Nissan Leafs.
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