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Tesla Model S replaces Dodge Charger as Fremont PD’s latest patrol vehicle
A Tesla Model S will soon be starting a new life with the Fremont Police Department. In an announcement on Wednesday, the Fremont PD stated that it would be launching a pilot program to test out if battery-electric cars such as Tesla’s flagship sedan are cut out for full-time police duty. The upcoming deployment of the Model S also plays a part in Fremont’s overall goal of reducing greenhouse gases by 25% by 2020.
The Fremont PD opted for a 2014 Tesla Model S 85 as its first all-electric patrol car. The vehicle will be replacing a 2007 Dodge Charger, which will soon be taken out of service due to the vehicle’s age. The car was given a set of modifications specifically for police use, including an overhead light bar, a prisoner partition, headlight flashers, armored panels for the driver and front passenger doors, and a large, heavy-duty push bumper. The Fremont PD shared an image of the modified Model S, and it’s pretty difficult to deny that the all-electric car looks very good (and even a tad intimidating) as a patrol car.
As a full-on police cruiser, the Fremont PD’s Model S 85 will be doing the same tasks as its gas-powered counterparts. This, according to the city’s police department, means that the vehicle will be used heavily. In a document explaining the rationale behind its EV patrol car program, the Fremont PD noted that patrol cars are exposed to various stresses every day. For one, police cruisers drive around 40-70 miles a day, and maneuvers involving hard on and off braking, as well as hard on and off acceleration, are normal. Police vehicles are subjected to fast and quick steering maneuvers at high speed too, as well as extended idle periods where emergency lights and other police equipment are activated.
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- The Fremont PD’s Tesla Model S 85 before modifications. (Photo: Fremont PD)
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- The Fremont PD’s Tesla Model S 85 after partial modifications. (Photo: Fremont PD)
The Fremont PD’s Tesla Model S 85 patrol car before and after modifications. (Photos: Fremont PD)
With a range of 265 miles per charge, the Model S 85 does seem to have enough battery power for an average day’s police work. The Fremont PD notes that the vehicle’s electric motor meets the requirements for hard on and off acceleration, and the Model S 85’s heavy-duty brakes, coupled with regenerative braking, meets the braking demands of patrol cars. The all-electric car’s low center of gravity also provides excellent steering and handling at high speeds. That said, the Fremont PD does have concerns with extended idle times, as activated emergency lights and other accessories might eat into the Model S’ range.
As noted by the Fremont PD, a notable advantage for its Model S 85 cruiser lies in its maintenance needs, or lack thereof. Being an all-electric car, the Model S has far fewer moving parts than the Dodge Charger it is replacing. Thanks to features like regenerative braking, the electric car requires fewer replacement parts, which, in turn, results in lesser downtime. Ultimately, though, the vehicle also helps Fremont transition towards sustainability, as addressed by Fremont Police Captain Sean Washington in a press release.
“The electric patrol vehicle pilot program is an extension of the City’s clean technology and smart city initiatives to help make Fremont a more sustainable community,” Washington said.
The Fremont PD captain’s reference on the city’s sustainability is no exaggeration. As noted in a CBS local report, the vehicle fleet of Fremont’s police department is responsible for 980 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year. With its electric car fleet program, Fremont PD expects to reduce its fleet’s greenhouse gas emissions by up to 10%. The gas and maintenance savings presented by the Model S patrol car is also notable. Over five years, it is estimated that a Ford Explorer cruiser would consume around $32,000 in fuel, with an additional $15,000 in maintenance costs. The Model S 85 is expected to consume only a fraction of this cost.
Tesla’s electric cars have been used as police vehicles in the past. Back in 2015, the LAPD announced that it would be leasing two Model S P85D that will be used as pursuit vehicles for its electric car initiative. While the cars met the LAPD’s demands for performance and range, the vehicles were weighed down by their high price. The Denver PD also revealed its own Model S police car, though the vehicle was mostly used for community outreach events instead of everyday police work.
Perhaps the closest initiative to Fremont PD’s recently announced Model S cruiser is Luxembourg’s twin Tesla pursuit vehicles, both of which serve as rapid response patrol cars. A similar program was also launched last year by the Swiss Police, though the cars used in the initiative were Model X SUVs. Elon Musk later took to Twitter to express his approval for the Swiss Police’s initiative, even joking that with the Model X in service, “bad guys will definitely not escape.”
The Fremont PD’s Tesla Model S 85 patrol car is expected to be deployed soon.
You may have seen the formerly wrecked, then gutted 2022 Tesla Model S Plaid that had most of its body cut off and set the quarter mile record back in August, but now, it is a completely different creation dubbed the “Plaidessey.”
YouTube channel BoostedBoiz is making another major change by chopping off what little remained of the Plaid and dropping a 2001 Honda Odyssey body onto what’s left to create the “ultimate sleeper.”
In all fairness, the Odyssey body actually fits pretty well over the Model S, with less than two inches separating the wheelbase and only minor changes needed for the fenders.
One hurdle was the B pillar of the van not lining to where the Model S had its B pillar, but once the front windshield of the Model S was cut off, it made the accessibility into the car much easier.
The “Plaidessey” halfway through the changes (Credit: BoostedBoiz YouTube)
Before this major alteration, they set the Model S Plaid quarter mile world record by running 8.71 seconds down the dragstrip after cutting off the body and adding an aluminum shell to help with aerodynamics.
After setting the world record, they ran into another problem with the suspension getting stuck in low mode and even took it by a couple of Tesla dealerships in Florida to see if they could help with the issue. Unsurprisingly they weren’t able to get much help considering the changes made.
They were eventually able to enlist the help of Electrified Garage to help narrow down their issues and get a replacement part shipped out to fix the suspension.
Check out the transformation on the BoostedBoiz’s channel below!
What do you think of this creation from a 2022 Model S Plaid turned “Cyberkart” and now the “Plaidessey?”
Questions or comments? Shoot me an email at rangle@teslarati.com, or Tweet me @RDAnglePhoto.
The Tesla Model S was a subject of a conversion project at Ares’ Design, turning the flagship sedan into a stunning two-door convertible.
The Model S was Tesla’s second car behind the original Roadster from 2008. Since its original release in 2012, Tesla has made several small refinements to the car. One of the most notable is the omittance of the nosecone in favor of a new, more modern design. Tesla implemented this change in 2016, and it has been highly-accepted among the community.
Recently, rumors of a refresh to the Model S design have been circulating within the Tesla community. Because the flagship sedan and subsequent Model X vehicles have not been updated in several years, Tesla may be considering updating the design. While possibilities are endless and everyone has their opinion on what should be done, the folks at Ares Design in Modena, Italy put their own spin on the Model S, ridding it of the rear passenger doors and doing away with the top of the car.
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- Credit: Ares Design
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- Credit: Ares Design
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- Credit: Ares Design
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- Credit: Ares Design
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- Credit: Ares Design
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- Credit: Ares Design
The project started with the removal of the roof and central B-pillars, along with the rear doors. The wheelbase was then shortened to make the two-door design more reasonably aesthetic, and Ares designed their own doors that were fabricated to the specifications of the newly-refined Model S chassis. Structural reinforcements were added as well to ensure the safety of passengers.
Paired with interior upgrades that include new seating and a colorful new steering wheel with matching accents, the Model S from Ares is certainly one of the more interesting revisions to Tesla’s flagship sedan. However, it isn’t an ugly or unruly conversion by any means. However, some enthusiasts may have something to say about the revisions to the Model S’ design, as it was many early Tesla enthusiasts first EV.
Ares has many projects that will fit the taste of nearly every automotive enthusiast on Earth. With projects that span from Tesla to Lamborghini, there are several different routes the design studio has taken over the years to ensure the satisfaction of their customers and fans.
“At Ares, our co-create philosophy allows clients to work side by side with our designers and engineers to create their very own bespoke vehicle, a service that is unique to ARES,” CEO Dany Bahar said in a statement on the company’s website. “This Tesla project is a superb example of this; it was a pure coachbuilding project which we very much enjoy doing and seeing the results of our uncompromising standards.”
What do you think? Leave a comment down below. Got a tip? Email us at tips@teslarati.com or reach out to me at joey@teslarati.com.
A Tesla Model 3 Performance with modifications from EV tuning house Unplugged Performance has achieved an elusive feat. During a run in Japan’s Tsukuba Circuit, a location famed for its twists and turns, the modified all-electric sedan managed to beat the record of a legendary naturally aspirated supercar, the McLaren F1, with an impressive lap time of 1:03.3.
What’s rather interesting is that the Model 3 Performance was actually in its street settings when it was brought to the track, and its driver was a neophyte with electric cars. While the vehicle had a slew of modifications, the Model 3 was not tuned or modified specially for the Tsukuba Circuit. It was even equipped with OEM tires from a Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997), which are good on the track but also great for regular driving.
The Model 3 that was used for the Tsukuba Circuit run was the same car that Unplugged Performance brought to the Tokyo Auto Salon. The vehicle, which belongs to Tesla owner enthusiast Erik Strait and dubbed as the Model 3 Ascension R, was brought over to Japan this January following its showcase at the SEMA 2019 show. The all-electric car was showcased in Japan as a way to demonstrate how classic tuning methods could be applied for high-performance EVs.
It should be noted that its record-breaking lap was not the first time Unplugged Performance’s Model 3 Ascension R was brought to Tsukuba Circuit. After its appearance at the Tokyo Auto Salon, the vehicle was brought to the track, where it came close to beating the McLaren F1’s lap record with a time of 1:04.7. This was just one-tenth of a second slower than the McLaren F1’s record of 1:04.6.
While the McLaren F1 is no longer the world’s fastest supercar today, the vehicle remains one of the most formidable forces of automotive engineering ever created. The car, which saw production between 1992 to 1998, was considered groundbreaking and insane at the same time. In 1998, the F1 took the title as the world’s fastest production car with a speed of 240.1 mph, and it held on to its crown until it was beaten by the Koenigsegg CCR in 2005. Even decades after its release, the McLaren F1 remains the world’s fastest naturally-aspirated production car in the industry.
For Unplugged Performance CEO Ben Shaffer, The Tesla Model 3 Ascension R is a love song of sorts to his background in JDM vehicles. It’s a fast electric car that is very capable on the track, of course, but it is also a proper road car that can be used for everyday driving.
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