A Fremont, California police department was so interested in protecting the climate from greenhouse gas emissions that they invested in a Tesla electric patrol car as part of a pilot program.
But how would an electric car perform in a high speed chase with a gas powered vehicle?
According to KPIX-TV, not so well. An officer driving the vehicle was in mid-pursuit of a suspect and had to fall out because his battery was too low.
"I am down to six miles of battery on the Tesla, so I may lose it here in a sec," the officer can be heard telling dispatch, according to police radio transmissions obtained by KPIX-TV. "If someone else is able, can they maneuver into the number one spot?"
Fellow officers then overtook the pursuit but reportedly backed off as well when the suspect started to drive erratically, putting many in danger. The suspect’s vehicle was found abandoned in San Jose later in the day.
Why was the Tesla so low on battery?
“The Tesla wasn’t fully charged at the beginning of the shift,” a Fremont police spokesperson told KPIX-TV. “This, unfortunately, happens from time to time, even in our vehicles that run on gas, if they aren’t refueled at the end of a shift.”
But vehicles that require gas fill up much quicker than those that need an electric charge.
As Fox News reports:
The department is in the midst of a pilot program using 2014 Tesla model S 85 vehicles as part of Fremont’s push to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent from its 2005 baseline by 2020.
Looks like giving in to the idea of the “climate crisis” isn’t such a good idea for a police department whose supposed to be capturing criminals.