Tesla Model S is becoming a police patrol car in Luxembourg

Grand-Ducale police in Luxembourg confirmed today that they are purchasing two Tesla Model S sedans to use as patrol cars.

They are not the first police department to use electric vehicles.

The city of Los Angeles announced that it is leasing 288 electric vehicles, including 160 fully-electric vehicles (BEVs), which resulted in Los Angeles operating the largest city-owned fleet of pure electric vehicles. A lot of those vehicles went to the LAPD which started taking delivery of 100 BMW i3s last summer and two Tesla Model S sedans.

But those vehicles were used by support employees or investigation teams as they claimed that they didn’t have enough range or speed to be cleared as patrol cars.

In Luxembourg, the Model S vehicles will actually be used as patrol cars, according to local news RTL.

In term of range, the country is ideal for electric cars since it’s only 82 km (51 miles) long and 57 km (35 miles) wide. As for speed and acceleration, virtually all of the latest versions of Tesla’s Model S are now quicker and faster than conventional police cars, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

Of course, the Model S P100D Ludicrous is now famously the quickest production car with a 0 to 60 mph acceleration in 2.3 seconds, but it’s not clear which version Grand-Ducale police in Luxembourg are buying.

The new cars are part of a program of the Ministry of Sustainable Development to move government cars to electric. They are also reportedly purchasing electric vehicles for administrative employees.

Other police departments are still considering the Model S as a potential patrol car. Scotland Yard recently said that it was in talks with Tesla and other electric automakers to convert London’s police car fleet and the LAPD retrofitted one of their Tesla Model S with equipment for police patrol and they are testing it as a ‘high-pursuit’ police cruiser.