Automotive

Hold onto your donuts, LAPD is getting 100 BMW i3s

Hold onto your donuts, LAPD is getting 100 BMW i3s
The LAPD will be making use of 100 BMW i3s for non-emergency purposes
The LAPD will be making use of 100 BMW i3s for non-emergency purposes
View 7 Images
The i3 was chosen after bidding process
1/7
The i3 was chosen after bidding process
The LAPD will be making use of 100 BMW i3s for non-emergency purposes
2/7
The LAPD will be making use of 100 BMW i3s for non-emergency purposes
The i3 was chosen to deal with mundane, runabout tasks
3/7
The i3 was chosen to deal with mundane, runabout tasks
The i3s will be leased over three years, after which point the LAPD will reassess its options
4/7
The i3s will be leased over three years, after which point the LAPD will reassess its options
LA police are being treated to i3s
5/7
LA police are being treated to i3s
The i3s are backed up by 104 new charging stations
6/7
The i3s are backed up by 104 new charging stations
i3s won't be used for pursuit situations, instead they'll let staffers get to appointments in all-electric silence
7/7
i3s won't be used for pursuit situations, instead they'll let staffers get to appointments in all-electric silence
View gallery - 7 images

The Los Angeles Police Department has put 100 BMW i3s on order in an attempt to cut down on running costs. Although they offer good low-down torque, the police department won't be using the little BMWs in pursuit situations, instead relegating them to more mundane runabout status.

LA residents can relax because the city's criminals won't be able to outrun the cops by simply driving further than the i3's 300 km (186 mi) range. Instead, the cars will be used by the department's workforce for getting to meetings or site visits, or by serving officers doing routine errands.

But why has the police department bothered with electric cars when they're more expensive than regular gasoline cars? Well, Police Chief Charlie Beck says the fleet of i3s will save help save taxpayer money in the long run.

"Electric vehicle procurement made sense for taxpayers and for the environment," Beck says. "Every dollar we save from lower maintenance will go back into law enforcement to keep our city safe. And while our new electric cars will be used only for non-emergency purposes, we will continue to monitor and test new generations of vehicles for their potential to serve as patrol cars."

The department will run the cars on a three-year lease, before reassessing the options out there. As a part of the deal with BMW, LAPD mechanics will be given the requisite training to work on the i3.

Also new to the police department are 104 charging stations, which have been purchased and installed to complement the new EV fleet.

Source: LAPD

View gallery - 7 images
2 comments
2 comments
Wolf0579
I wonder how the BMW's crash-worthiness compares to what LA is currently using for pursuit cars? Or, could it be, that the LAPD doesn't want to risk it's pretty new BMW's getting the paint scratched up.
Daishi
It's easy to forget that city/government employees have commuting needs too and those vehicles contribute to pollution and smog the same as everything else. That's 100 more cars in LA that don't have tailpipes.