The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) signed a contract with BMW for a fleet of 100 i3 all-electric vehicles, beating out Tesla and other electric vehicles to become the new face of LA community police business.
While the LAPD i3s won't engage in car chases or patrol your local community, it will be utilized for other kinds of police business, such as outreach. The LAPD will still work with BMW, Tesla, and other automotive makers to test all-electric patrol cars.
"The attributes of the BMW i3 position it to excel as the ideal vehicle for municipal organizations," said Ludwig Willisch, President and CEO of BMW of North America. "The performance and technical capabilities, such as the BMW i3 's acceleration and its ConnectedDrive integration, are perfectly suited to transform the future mobility of the Los Angeles Police Department while also reducing their carbon footprint."
The LAPD will spend $1.4 million over three-years to lease the fleet of BMW i3s with individual leasing costs at $387 a month, though it is unknown if that comes with the gas-engine extender. The contract includes maintenance and servicing of the i3s. An additional $1.5 million will be spent on EV charging infrastructure installation of 100 Level 2 and Level 4 DC fast chargers for LAPD locations.
"We want to go to the next step," said LAPD Police Chief Charlie Beck. "[EVs] will absolutely be the patrol cars of the future."
Not only does the LAPD use BMW motorcycles for patrol vehicles, but the network of "i centers" for servicing EVs influenced the decision, according to BMW. The Bavarian automaker also mentioned that Greenlots, a California-based company, will install the charging infrastructure for the LAPD.
The City of Los Angeles is also looking at going green and getting a fleet of 100 EVs.
"We should be thinking green in everything we do — and these new EVs show how local government can lead," said Mayor Garcetti. "Our sustainability plan pushes L.A. to speed adoption of greener practices and technologies, which also save money and resources."
Saving money is one of the reasons the LAPD chose the BMW i3 over the Tesla Model S P90D, but it would have been cool to see a Tesla car chase.
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