LAPD shows off its Tesla and BMW EVs and promises to add more to its fleet
The Los Angeles Police Department recently showed off a Tesla Model S and a BMW i3 as the newest members of its police car fleet in the name of &ldquo;testing and research.&rdquo; The two cars are being loaned to the LAPD and were unveiled as part of the announcement of a broader plan to bring 288 new electric and hybrid vehicles to LA's city-owned fleet. On Friday, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that the Los Angeles police, fire, general services, and water and power departments will lease 160 pure battery electric vehicles; and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and General Services Department will lease 128 plug-in hybrid vehicles. These 288 electric vehicles will replace older city vehicles.

At a press conference today, Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti announced the lease of 160 battery electric vehicles and 128 plug-in hybrids for the city's vehicle fleet. "Today, we take another step toward becoming the most sustainable city in America," the mayor told reporters. "This year, Los Angeles will become home to the largest city-owned fleet of pure battery electric vehicles anywhere in the country, and we will save taxpayer dollars along the way."

The city's fleet already includes 23 electric scooters and three fully electric motorcycles, but this is the first major move into electric cars. The mayor has set ambitious environmental goals for the fleet, requiring that electric vehicles constitute half of the light duty fleet by 2017, and 80 percent of the city's fleet purchases by 2025.

#LAPD: @LAPDChiefBeck speaking at the news conference on Historic Transition to Green Energy Vehicles. pic.twitter.com/n1KdFOrX8F — LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) September 11, 2015