BMW

LAPD Unveils Fleet of BMW Electric Vehicles

You won't be seeing these black and whites responding to emergencies or getting into a pursuit anytime soon

The Los Angeles Police Department on Wednesday unveiled 100 BMW electric cars that it has added to its fleet.

"You might think that we're here at BMW of Beverly Hills but we're actually in a police parking lot," Mayor Eric Garcetti said during the show and tell in downtown Los Angeles.

Garcetti added that the green vehicles will improve LA's air quality and allow the department to save money on maintenance and fuel.

But you won't be seeing these black and white vehicles responding to emergencies or getting into a pursuit anytime soon.

The BMW i3s will serve as the department's "non-emergency fleet vehicles," according to a BMW news release. Officers will solely use the vehicles as transportation and for community outreach events.

Police Chief Charlie Beck said he hopes to continue working with car manufactures like BMW and Tesla to resolve some minor issues in order to eventually see an electric patrol vehicle.

"They will be absolutely the patrol cars of the future," Beck said.

The BMW i3 police car is electrified by a lithium-ion battery and can last for 80-100 miles of emission-free driving, according to the German luxury car company. It has also been rated as the most fuel efficient EPA-certified vehicle by the U.S. Department of Energy.

This is the largest electric vehicle fleet and charging installation to ever serve a police department, according to a Greenlots press release.

BMW i3s bearing the LAPD insignia first hit the streets this spring as part of a field trial. The department tested the BMW model alongside other electric vehicles and announced the BMW partnership on Wednesday.

The order of electric vehicles aligns with Garcetti's Sustainable City pLAn released in April 2015. One of the plan's goals is that more than half of all new city vehicles in Los Angeles be fully electric. The LAPD alone plans to acquire 500 electric vehicles by 2021.

The BMW i3 starts at a suggested retailer's price of $42,400 and the range-extender model starts at $46,250.

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