The Driven

Electric vehicles could be the norm for road policing in Australia within just 10 years’ time, Victoria Police has said, after revealing on Monday it had welcomed a Tesla Model X into the fold of its highway patrol operational fleet.

The use of the all-electric five-seater SUV marks a first for an Australian police organisation, and makes Victoria one of the first jurisdictions in the world to use an EV for operational duties.

In a statement on Monday, Victoria Police said the “one-off procurement” of the US-made luxury EV was part of a feasibility study into developing fully integrated electric, IT-based police vehicles for fleet use.

VicPol said it would be collaborating with Tesla engineers, emergency equipment manufacturers, and its own vehicle installation contractor and IT and communications technicians in integrating police equipment and software into the Model X’s on-board system.

The SUV – which can go from 0-100km/h in under five seconds, and features Tesla’s iconic “falcon wing doors” – will be a fully fitted and functioning Highway Patrol vehicle and will be trialled across various regions in consultation with the Road Policing Command, a statement said.

“This is the future, there’s no doubt about it,” said Inspector Stuart Bailey from State Highway Patrol in a Victoria Police video posted on Twitter.

“This is a fully electric car that’s going to change our fleet in Victoria Police. I can see in 10 years time that every one of our cars will be electric cars.”

To read the full story on RenewEconomy’s electric vehicle dedicated site, The Driven, click here…