Photo: Merseyside Roads Policing Unit
Merseyside Police in Northwest England are testing a Tesla Model 3 sedan as a patrol car, describing the electric vehicle (EV) as “cool-looking” following an initial drive, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Despite it being a “headturner,” the Merseyside Police Roads Policing Unit (RPU) account on Twitter also voiced a few concerns such as how often it will need to charge and slow charging times for local chargers.
“How many top up charges do you think we will need in a shift?” said the account.
One officer also noted that the police department’s headquarters at Liverpool’s Cazneau Street had chargers, but that they took a long time to charge the EV.
“The on-site chargers at Rose Hill are particularly slow. Would take 20 hours to charge from flat,” said Dave Lyons, the Chief Officer for Merseyside Police Special Constabulary.
The news comes on the heels of a new UK policy to ban new diesel and petrol vehicle sales by 2030.
Meanwhile, a number of Tesla police cruisers are being tested in the U.S., with many reporting lowered maintenance and fueling costs in department pilot programs.
A few similar programs have overseen Tesla police cars in the UK, with one arriving at Hampshire’s police department in February, and British Transport Police launching a Model 3 and Kia EV6 Patrol Vehicle in July.
