Top 5 Next-Gen Cop Car Gadgets

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TweetTop 5 Next-Gen Cop Car Gadgets
Hollywood and CSI notwithstanding, enforcing the law isn’t a particularly high-tech endeavor. But a piecemeal revolution is underway, with individual agencies testing a variety of gadgets for their patrol vehicles.




1. Carbon Motors E7

The E7 doesn’t exist, but if police agencies nationwide know what’s good for them, it will. It would be the world’s first purpose-built police car, a diesel-powered Dodge Charger look-alike with a laundry list of built-to-order options, such as armored front doors and dashboards (capable of stopping 9-mm rounds) and forward-looking infrared cameras. But the biggest potential innovation here is the business model. “Law enforcement agencies don’t buy in bulk,” says William Li, chairman and CEO of Atlanta-based Carbon Motors. “They have no economies of scale.”

For major automakers, there’s no profit in designing a niche product like a purpose-built squad car. So agencies continue to buy standard Crown Victorias or Chevy Tahoes and then install aftermarket lights, sirens, laptop docks and other gear. As a leaner, niche-vehicle startup, Carbon Motors—started by ex-Ford executives—wants to deliver a high-performance, fully integrated patrol vehicle for roughly the same price as the retrofitted models currently on the road. In theory, by standardizing the installation process for the various police-friendly options, and using newer manufacturing processes (including thermoplastics instead of paint for customized color schemes), Carbon Motors could squeak out a profit that, as Li calls them, “legacy automakers” couldn’t.

The E7 would go from 0 to 60 mph in 6 seconds, with a top speed of 155 mph, and a slew of humble-sounding improvements, like seats that can accommodate radios and other bulky equipment. According to Li, the E7 would start in the high-20s, climbing up to as much as $70,000 with options like license-plate-reading cameras and even WMD sensors. In the long run, the E7 could prove more cost-effective than current patrol cars: Carbon Motors claims it will be 40 percent more fuel efficient, with a life span of 250,000 miles (most models used as police cars are expected to last for 70,000 miles).

Short-Term Impact: Carbon Motors is still on the hunt for funding. According to Li, a “large financing transaction” could lead to a working E7 within three years.

[daved150]

Tweetwow! thats 1 ugly fuker!! i hope they come out with these!! i'll see this coming miles away!

[Weaksauce]

Tweetlooks like ill have to get some bigger cams to keep away haha

[jipped genes]

Tweetwont see many of those the insurance on them will cost more than the car. our PD still uses the crown vics due to insurance costs

[daved150]

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wont see many of those the insurance on them will cost more than the car. our PD still uses the crown vics due to insurance costs

prob. still the number 1 police cruiser. they make sence for that average city/municapality. the overall cost of maintence, ownership and insurance is alot esier on their budgets. a local city up here switched over to chargers becouse crys. headquaters is in that city. the paper reported that they are going back to crown-vics and just going to assign the chargers to the detectives....too costly to maintain and insure. they're also dumping their durrango cruisers (winter time 4x4's) and taking bids from ford (explorer's) and gm (trailblazers)