California Cops Speak Out Against Tesla Police Cars, Call Them Unfit For Duty

Police officers across the nation are dealing with a change. Dodge ended production of the last-gen Charger late last year. A replacement isn’t readily available either and several municipalities are looking at electric vehicles as a potential replacement. For some though, the Tesla Model 3 is far from the perfect pursuit vehicle. Instead, they are relying on the Ford F-150 Lightning.

No single vehicle is absolutely perfect for police work, but some certainly perform better than others. A recent trio of interviews with department chiefs from northern California shed some light on what officers think of the available electric vehicle options.

Read: Police Chief Furious Over Unreliable Dodge Durangos He’s Selling At A Significant Loss

Speaking to SF Gate about using a Tesla Model 3, Ukiah Police Department Chief Cedric Crook complained that they’re expensive to outfit, hard to charge due to a lack of infrastructure, and that they’re not big enough. Rather than spacious enough for two prisoners, they can only move one at a time in a Model 3.

When High-Tech Becomes a Hassle

“Tesla back seats only have room for one prisoner,” Crook told the Bay Area news site, which could mean more officers and more cars for incidents with multiple suspects, stretching resources thin. Menlo Park Police Department Chief David Norris had more complaints about his Model Y units.

The safety features were tough for officers to navigate and overcome. Because they’re close to the ground, his officers can’t jump curbs and go off-road as easily as they can in other cars. He also complained about the interior space.

Officers decked out in full patrol gear reported that their duty belts and bulletproof vests dug into the passenger seat, “making it nearly unusable.” Furthermore, they found that the so-called ‘smart’ features, such as autopilot and proximity locking, created headaches when shifting into drive or trying to pull over.

A Space Race Tesla Can’t Win

These critiques make sense considering the dramatic difference in passenger volume when comparing the Tesla Model 3 (and even Model Y) to the Dodge Charger. The electric sedan features 97 cubic feet (Model Y = 106 CuFt) whereas the tried and true Dodge offers 120 cubic feet. That’s a lot more space for people and police equipment.

Of course, most people (even those who aren’t die-hard car lovers) can plainly see that the Charger and Model 3 don’t play in the same sedan segment and that has nothing to do with their propulsion type. A police car made out of a Honda Civic, which has 99 cubic feet of passenger volume, would likely suffer the same criticisms.

More: South Pasadena Cops Are Now Only Rolling Around In Teslas

California’s push to go all-in on zero-emission vehicles by 2035 is just making things more complicated. Governor Gavin Newsom’s executive order has forced many municipalities to speed up their EV adoption, but it’s leaving them tangled in logistical nightmares. “The shiny thing is the car; you have to have the charging infrastructure,” Chief Norris told SF Gate, calling out the massive gaps in EV readiness.

Ford’s F-150 Lightning Is The Real MVP

On the flip side, it’s easy to see, based on the critiques of the Model 3, why Fort Bragg Police leveraged the Ford F-150 Lightning. Not only are the Blue Oval’s electric trucks more spacious, but outfitting them and maintaining them is easier in the eyes of Department Chief Neil Cervenka.

“Ford F-150s are the most popular selling trucks in America,” Cervenka pointed out, meaning parts are easy to come by, and plenty of mechanics know how to work on them—even the Lightning model. On the other hand, “Teslas are tricky,” he added, often requiring “a Tesla technician to do a lot of the work. And when they’re in the shop, they’re out of commission for quite a while.”

Cervenka also highlighted another hurdle with Teslas: while there are plenty of nearby vendors to modify an F-150 for police work, the same can’t be said for Teslas. “I would have to transport our vehicles to Southern California, have them outfitted, and then get them transported back, which would be cost prohibitive,” he explained to SF Gate.

Not Everyone’s Giving Up on Tesla

Suffice to say, not all California police departments are as skeptical about Tesla patrol cars. As we reported earlier this summer, the South Pasadena Police Department recently replaced their entire fleet with Model Ys and 3s.

“This initiative not only ensures the safest vehicles for officers and staff but also leads to substantial reductions in both fuel and maintenance costs,” South Pasadena Police Chief Brian Solinsky said at the time. He estimated the switch would save the department around $4,000 a year in fuel alone.

Stay Tuned 7.29.24 pic.twitter.com/XtuNgzehJO

— South Pasadena PD (@southpaspd) July 24, 2024

But while Solinsky is confident in those savings, only time will tell if the numbers hold up once the grind of daily patrol duty sets in. Will the charging infrastructure, tech quirks, and space constraints that have frustrated other departments creep in, or will South Pasadena prove Tesla can be the future of police fleets? One thing’s certain—this debate is far from over.

The Future of EV Patrol Fleets

As the EV transition continues, there will no doubt be more options for police departments. We already know that Dodge is set to bring out an electrified Charger Daytona pursuit vehicle—likely the sedan version—which could help fill the gap left by the previous generation, especially if they also offer an ICE-powered variant.

That said, EV skeptics aren’t going anywhere, and neither are the infrastructure challenges that continue to frustrate departments already testing electric patrol cars. The road ahead isn’t as clear as some would like you to believe.

Opening photo Southpasadenaca PD / Unplugged Performance / Carscoops