Have you ever seen a police car call off a vehicle pursuit because it ran out of gas? That is what happened with a Fremont vehicle except that it did not run out of gas. It ran out of electricity. We are talking about the Tesla Model S that the Fremont police department bought in March as part of a pilot program to see if it fits law enforcement requirements.

It all happened last September 20, when officer Jesse Hartman warned he would not be able to continue the chase that had started in Fremont at around 11 PM. According to NBC Los Angeles, he had only 6 miles of range left on the Model S.

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That was because Hartman started his shift at 2 PM with the Model S and it was not fully charged. Fremont Police spokesperson Geneva Bosques told NBC that, when it is, shifts end with the car at 40 percent to 50 percent of charge left.

Considering the EV was put in a chase after nine hours of work and up to 50 percent of charge, the Model S did pretty well despite the lack of juice. After all, it was not an issue with the car itself, but with the people responsible for getting it ready for action again.

Also according to the Fremont Police spokesperson, it often happens that officers with the Tesla get back to the station to fill some papers. They may end up their shift without getting back to the car, which explains why it was not charged again.

Anyway, Bosques said the police are very impressed with the Model S. We are not sure about the timeframe of this pilot program, but six months have already passed. 

Will the pilot program approve the use of Tesla vehicles by the Fremont Police Department? In case it will, officers could establish a set of rules of use for the EVs. Always leaving the cars charging as soon as they park at the police station would probably be the first one. 

Source: NBC Los Angeles