The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) chooses BMW over Tesla as its electric car supplier, tasking the carmaker with providing 100 i3 units.
This decision comes after evaluating a series of other electric vehicles (EV), including but not limited to the Model S, which was deemed to be just a bit too pricey to make a practical investment in.
According to the LAPD, the German-branded EV is the reasonable choice because of what it has to bring to the table such as its reliability, efficiency and smart features, particularly the ConnectedDrive technology it's fitted with.
"The attributes of the BMW i3 position it to excel as the ideal vehicle for municipal organizations. 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," Ludwig Willisch, BMW of North America president and CEO, says.
Of course, those aren't the only deciding factors, as the department also took accessibility to service centers and price into account before reaching a conclusion.
As for the i3 fleet's purpose, it won't be used for high pursuits. Instead, it'll be used mainly for the officers' transportation and community outreach programs, which basically explains why the BMW won the bid.
Chief of the LAPD Charlie Beck also says that the department will keep working with BMW, Tesla and other manufacturers to produce more competent EVs, noting that this recent agreement regarding the i3 could soon lead to environment-friendly patrol cars.
"We want to go to the next step. They will absolutely be the patrol cars of the future," he tells the Los Angeles Times.
The Model S is more capable in terms of speed, range — it can go for roughly 300 miles on a single charge — and acceleration, whereas the i3 is moderately slower and can only go for about 80 to 100 miles, but it should be pointed out that it has an extender option that increases its range to 150 miles. However, because of the circumstances, the BMW EV is the more affordable and efficient choice out of the two.
At any rate, switching over to EVs makes the LAPD a whole deal greener regardless of the supplier.
What do you think of this development? Feel free to drop by our comments section below and let us know.
