LAPD Chooses BMW Over Tesla For Electric Squad Cars

(RTTNews) - German auto giant BMW Group (BMW.L, BAMXF.PK, BAMXY.PK) has won a contract to supply the Los Angeles Police Department with 100 electric cars, beating competition from California-based rival Tesla Motors, Inc. (TSLA).

BMW will lease 100 of its fully-electric plug-in compact BMW i3 vehicles for use in the LAPD's transportation fleet. The vehicles will form part of the Police Department's non-emergency fleet vehicles and will be used as transportation vehicles for officers and in community outreach initiatives.

The initiative is in keeping with the LAPD's focus on efficient use of resources and Los Angeles' "Sustainable City Plan" goal that more than half of all new City vehicles be fully electric.

The selection of the BMW electric cars comes after a field trial during which a BMW i3 was evaluated alongside other electric vehicles, including a Tesla Model S P85D. Production of the P85D has been discontinued.

While Tesla's P85D is larger and quicker than the BMW i3, the German electric car has a base price of $42,000, or just half the price of the Tesla vehicle.

With 170 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque hybrid-synchronous electric motor, the BMW i3 is electrified by a 22-kWh lithium-ion battery and can go 80 to 100 miles on a single electric charge.

Partly due to its compact size and use of light-weight Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic or CFRP in its construction, the BMW i3 has a tight turning radius and the agility required to navigate congested city streets.

BMW said its software data system will integrate with the LAPD's fleet management system, enabling the police department to electronically receive critical vehicle data needed to effectively maintain their fleet.

BMW is also designing a web tool that will allow the department to track their fleet in near real-time. This is expected to contribute to improved deployment and utilization as well as the efficient charging of the fleet of BMW i3s.

Greenlots, a provider of open standards-based distributed energy resource solutions, will supply 100 Level 2 chargers and four DC fast chargers to LAPD.