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FREMONT, Calif. – The last thing a police officer trying to track down a suspect in a high-speed pursuit has to do is point out that his patrol vehicle is running out of fuel or battery.
But that's how things happened Friday night in Fremont – in a Tesla no less. A police officer in Fremont pursuing a suspect while driving the Tesla patrol car, model S of the department, noticed that he was running out of battery.
During the pursuit of a "criminal vehicle" that started in Fremont and reached a top speed of about 200 km / h on the highway, the agent who was driving the Tesla Radio announced that he might not be able to continue the pursuit he was leading.
"I have more than six miles of battery on the Tesla, so I risk losing it here in a second," said agent Jesse Hartman.
"If anyone else is able, can they get to the front row?", He asked nearby officers, as the pursuit approached the exit of Jacklin Road on Interstate 680 South to Milpitas.
However, shortly after Hartman sounded the alarm, the person driving the car pursued by the police began to roll on the shoulder of the road as the traffic thickened, prompting police to cancel the prosecution about eight minutes at that time for security reasons, according to police records on Broadcastify and a spokeswoman for the department.
The Fremont police therefore left the highway in San Jose and returned to their city, but not until the Tesla officer made a pit stop.
"I have to try to find a Tesla charging station so I can get back to town," Hartman said on the radio.
He finally found a loader in San Jose to prepare his car, said Geneva Bosques, spokesman for the Fremont Police Department.
Apparently, the Tesla had not been recharged after the last shift before Hartman took it for his Friday shift, so the battery level was lower than it would have been normally been, said Bosques. She could not explain why it had not been charged.
"Hartman was monitoring the prosecution and responsibly notifying her status," she said in a text message Tuesday, noting that the ministry had other officers and the California Highway Patrol to take over the pursuit if necessary.
The CHP informed the Fremont police that the car they were pursuing was found later crashed into bushes near the scene of the chase and that the driver was not found, Bosques added. The crime warrant associated with the car comes from the Santa Clara Police Department.
The Fremont Police Department made headlines earlier this year when the news agency announced that it would likely be the first police service in the country to deploy a Tesla as part of its patrol fleet.
The 2014 Tesla Model S used is considered part of a pilot program to determine whether electric vehicles are suitable for wider use by the police.
The department spent just over $ 61,000 to purchase the car in Tesla in 2018 – whose main plant is located in Fremont – and spent more than a year modifying it to prepare it for use by the company. police, which officially deployed it in March.
The used Tesla costs about $ 20,000 more than a new Ford Explorer police vehicle used by the department for its other patrol vehicles, although officials said they hoped to save on fuel costs and long term maintenance with the Tesla.
The ministry said it was monitoring the operation of the vehicle and was monitoring measures such as the cost of electricity versus the cost of fuel. Department heads are expected to report their findings to the city council on the car's efficiency and any deficiencies.
Fremont Police Captain Sean Washington said in an interview in July that the Tesla pilot program was going well, which had already been involved in at least one other lawsuit at that time.
"Up to here, everything is fine," said Washington, noting that there was usually about 40 to 50 percent autonomy after a normal day of work. "We are easily able to survive an 11-hour shift with a battery-powered battery."
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© 2019, Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, California)
Visit the Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, California) on www.eastbaytimes.com
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