One state’s highway patrol is perhaps the most famous nationwide – and that’s California’s, a unit that inspired the 1970’s cop drama CHiPS.
And anyone who’s viewed it knows that CHiPS was associated with motorcycles – specifically classic Kawasakis that were common on police forces at the time.
Well, today’s California Highway Patrol might look a lot different. Carscoops is reporting that the California Highway Patrol is testing an EV – the Lucid Air, to be specific.
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A modified version of the Air, dubbed the Lucid Pursuit, has been revealed sporting emergency lights and push bumpers, steel wheels and a two-tone paint job.
So, why go electric? EVs offer speed benefits, for one. And while torque varies by trim, Lucid’s high end Sapphire offers a 0-60 time of 1.7 seconds and a mind-blowing 8.9 second quarter mile. While this specific version will probably price itself out of the game, the much more reasonably priced Touring brings some get up and go as well, with the ability to hit 60 in 3.4 seconds.
And while they’ll still need a charge, the range on the Lucid Air is around 420 miles. For its part, Lucid said the Air’s “unmatched combination” of range, performance, and room would offer an ideal option for law enforcement duty.
No matter, price will certainly play a role in this decision. Currently an Air Pure starts at $69,900 – a bit of a leap from the Dodge Charger you see dotting the highways now. The agency would be left bargaining that down, no doubt, and determining whether the speed and efficiency are priorities that outweigh the cost.
Clearly this scenario begs the question: What would Eric Estrada do?