UK Police Are Testing Tesla Model 3 With Promising Results

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British police have been testing Tesla Model 3 vehicles as part of its plan to electrify its fleet, The Guardian reports, noting that a Tesla spokesperson said that the results were promising so far. According to the emergency services lead at Tesla, Max Toozs-Hobson, the early findings are showing great results around the suitability of Model 3 vehicles for emergency service operation. Toozs-Hobson told The Guardian that although the average blue light run in the UK was seven to fifteen minutes, the Model 3 was able to take part in runs that lasted four hours on active deployment under advanced driving conditions. He added that, “It’s achievable to do over 200 miles of blue light advanced driving with the [Model 3].”

The UK police, paramedic, and fire services could adopt more Tesla Model 3s based on these positive results. The trial started earlier this year when Tesla offered UK police an adapted and liveried version of its Model 3, the article noted.

Photo courtesy of Tesla UK
Photo courtesy of Tesla UK

The UK police are planning to invest in more EVs, and the government recently announced a 2030 ban on new diesel and gas-powered vehicles. Toozs-Hobson noted that Tesla made several adaptations to the car and that these did not impact the vehicle’s range. He also pointed out that running automatic number plate recognition for three hours would take less than a few miles of range off of the car. Also, the LED lights could run for days off the battery pack.

There were some challenges presented in the trial run as well. Toozs-Hobson noted that the light bars on emergency vehicles were like running with a parachute on. His suggestion is to integrate police lights into the car cabin in a similar fashion to unmarked police cars. This would reduce drag and the drop in car value that comes from drilling hold into the vehicle roof. He also added that the public response to Tesla’s active units has been mind-blowing and that Tesla would continue working with police ahead of the 2030 combustion motor ban.

The Guardian was also given a statement by a UK government spokesperson, who said:

“Over the next few years, police forces across England and Wales will play a significant role in achieving the government’s net-zero carbon ambition through the de-carbonization program for policing.

“Some forces have already made significant progress in decarbonizing their fleet.”


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Johnna Crider

Johnna owns less than one share of $TSLA currently and supports Tesla's mission. She also gardens, collects interesting minerals and can be found on TikTok

Johnna Crider has 1996 posts and counting. See all posts by Johnna Crider