According to the foreign media Spokane Spokesman-Review report, the police station in Spokane, Washington, is seeking to electrify the police car, and recently they used the Tesla Model Y as a patrol car, but they were harshly criticized by the local police. Mainly because the Tesla Model Y is not designed for police cars, after the car is put into the computer used by the police on duty, the central control screen becomes difficult to control, and the modification cost is higher than other models.
The Spokane Municipal Government purchased two Tesla Model Ys as police patrol cars last March, but because the original factory did not provide services for converting them into police cars, the police spent an extra $30,000, and several months of waiting time, equipped the Tesla Model Y with partitions, radios, etc., and added warning light strips, push bar bumpers, and thick armored door panels. However, converting the Ford Explorer Hybrid into a police car costs only $8,000 to $15,000.
Police executives said Teslas were not suitable as police cars, they were too small, and that they were not designed for police work. The police department intends to buy 64 new cars this year to replace their existing old patrol cars, but the grassroots officers prefer the Ford Explorer Hybrid to the Tesla, leaving the police station in a dilemma. Spokane government parliament Bergs said that if the police department does not want Tesla, it can choose another electric car. The police department is currently considering the use of Ford Mustang Mach-E, and the original factory showed the Mustang Mach-E's police car model at the end of last year.
The report also pointed out that the complaint of the Ki cheng police officer about the Tesla Model Y, such as if the laptop on duty is put in the car, its bracket will affect the leg space of the passenger seat, making it very crowded, and the screen of the notebook computer is blocked by the central control screen in the car, and everything becomes very inconvenient.