The Fremont, California Police Department has successfully added a used Tesla Model S 85 to its fleet, as part of a pilot program, to be tested for police work. Setina Manufacturing Company was chosen as one of the leading manufacturers, for the task of outfitting the vehicle with all of the proper police vehicle equipment.

The Model S was previously tested with LAPD a few years ago, but they ran into a problem with electric cars not getting enough mileage to be efficient on duty. However, now as technology continues to progress with new models of electric cars, the future viability of electric cars entering the police market is looking more promising.

Fremont hopes to add more data to support this integration. It is estimated that the Tesla car could be built for the same price as current police vehicles, but may be cheaper and more environmentally friendly throughout its lifespan. This would be due to the ability to charge the cars during shift rotation instead of relying on gas prices for the larger SUV’s.

The key objective of the Fremont Model S pilot program is to establish the lifespan investment of the Tesla, to be able to really compare its effectiveness in the market.

The Fremont Police Department installed an 872kW solar carport structure onsite and three charging stations where the car will be charged in between the shifts.

The Tesla Model S was outfitted with the following components…

* Overhead light-bar

* Rear flashers

* Wheel well lights

* Headlight flashers

* WatchGuard vehicle camera

* Trunk lighting

* Panasonic Mobile Digital Computer

* Setina Push Bumpers

* Setina Prisoner Transport Partition

* Setina Prisoner Transport Seat

* Setina Rear Radio Deck

* Setina Equipment Console

* Armor door panels for the driver and front passenger door

Setina Manufacturing was chosen as part of this program because of their industry leading designs, the overall quality of their products, trust in the market, and their ability to quickly manufacture components that will be ready for law enforcement use.

Official Press Release Available Here