Law enforcement agencies across the United States are warming up to all-electric vehicles motivated by the government incentives and the lower total cost of ownership EVs offer compared to their gas-powered counterparts.
There are obviously more reasons than that to go all-electric, but we'll get to those later on. For now, it's worth noting that most police departments that have purchased all-electric vehicles for their patrol fleets have opted for Tesla vehicles, especially the Model Y and Model 3.
The former is arguably more popular among law enforcement agencies because it offers more interior space, and that comes in handy when modifying a vehicle for police use. But what exactly does a Tesla Model Y need to become a patrol car?
Well, the video above courtesy of Edward Pennington Calderhead on YouTube offers probably the best look yet at the modifications made to a Model Y police cruiser. The car is presented by Zak Wilson, the president of Cincinnati, Ohio-based Model PD, which is a company that converts Tesla Model Ys into patrol cars.
Right off the bat, we get a close look at the most obvious exterior modifications, including the push bumper with integrated lights, the steel wheels equipped with heavy-duty tires, and the carbon fiber roof.
The latter replaces the stock glass roof and is necessary for the fitting of police-specific accessories such as the light bars, antennas, and a headliner on the interior for things like dome lights, mounting switches and being able to run cabling for all kinds of accessories.
More stories on Tesla Model Y patrol cars
Other exterior changes include exterior lightning that features red and blue lights inside and a police spotlight on the driver's side. The interior is also heavily modified with seats featuring less bolstering and made of a more durable material, vinyl rubber instead of floor carpeting, a cage, and special cargo area.
Interestingly, the Model PD team has integrated the Windows-based police user interface into the Model Y's center screen. Toggling between the Tesla interface and the police interface is done manually by flipping a switch.
While Model PD's president wouldn't say how much it costs to convert a Tesla Model Y into a patrol car, he did say it's more expensive than an equivalent ICE-powered vehicle. However, the company estimates law enforcement agencies will break even on the cost of the vehicle in about two years compared to an ICE car; from then on the agency will start to make savings.
Wilson also noted that the Model Y can run without major issues for 10 years, which is longer than an ICE patrol car, mainly because the risk of developing drivetrain issues is much lower.
