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LAPD Is Not Using the Electric BMWs It Announced In 2016 (cbslocal.com)

mi shares a report from CBS Los Angeles: "In a 2016 well-choreographed press conference, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck got out of an electric BMW driven by Mayor Garcetti to tout the city's ambitious project [to provide electric cars for the department]," reports CBS Los Angeles. "The cost: $10.2 million, which includes charging stations." However, the cars have seen very little use. With the monthly lease payment of a little more than $418, one vehicle ends up costing taxpayers over $15 a mile to use. Some of the use they do get is improper too, alleges CBS Los Angeles, citing footage captured from several hidden cameras. "We followed someone after leaving the downtown police garage; they went to the drive-through at Yoshinoya," reports CBS. "On another day, someone drove from downtown LA to Loyola Marymount University in West LA, picked up someone who appeared to be a student, and went to lunch." The deputy chief is looking into what CBS found and says the cars are to be used for business only.

135 comments

  1. Monkey business!!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    amirte?

  2. Toys for Thugs by sexconker · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Did anyone think they'd be anything but taxpayer-funded toys for thugs?

    1. Re: Toys for Thugs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Those BMWs are fucking ugly looking pieces of shit for stupid faggets. Give them Teslas.

    2. Re:Toys for Thugs by rtb61 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You got the thugs, you choose and trained and allowed to write up imaginary policies (law enforcement policies are not law and should not be treated as such). Choose better people, train them properly a 2 year college degree, write laws to control them so they do not run around like freaks inventing their own policies, test for psychopathy and exclude in recruitment and existing and turn trigger happy law enforcer into peace keeping first responder in any and all emergencies and trained as such (fire, medical, societal and law, actual proper law training). Get rid of insane county based policing, huge waste of administrative costs, lack of uniform policing across the state hugely disadvantaging some citizens, poorly trained and often corrupt, turned into revenue streams preying on citizens.

      In most sane countries, the proper response to non-active duty use of idle vehicles, as long as it was reasonable use, as long as the vehicle was not actively needed, as long as permission was sought and idle use was approved and knowledge of the vehicle location maintained should use be necessary (logically also involving the person in question), the job is tough and high stress, perks like this improve working conditions and make for better officers as long as it is not abused, as long as the public does not hate it's law enforcers who in turn hate the public.

      Want even better officers, managed negative contact hours ie for each negative contact hour, arresting someone, active confrontational policing provided an hour of non-negative contact time, visiting works place and places or residence to establish working relationships with citizens, getting to know your police and your police getting to know you, supporting, managing and securing local public recreational facilities to promote healthy social use (yeah police should actively be trying to creating healthier more peaceful communities, through positive reinforcing actions).

      You want a better society you have to make it, you can not buy, sell or trade it, that's a corrupt society and it eats itself rather than producing more for it's citizens.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    3. Re: Toys for Thugs by arth1 · · Score: 2

      Those BMWs are fucking ugly looking pieces of shit for stupid faggets. Give them Teslas.

      The i3 does not give off the vibe that policemen want to be associated with, for sure.
      But a Tesla would only be marginally better.

      If they had some BMW i8 models, I'm sure they would have seen a lot more use. The lease would be much higher, but nothing is more expensive than something being paid for and not used.

    4. Re: Toys for Thugs by Reverend+Green · · Score: 2

      Better police training won't fix the badlaws and the kangaroo courts.

    5. Re:Toys for Thugs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I am assuming they don't want to use the electric BMW's because that other German car company had polluting diesel engines and they don't want to pollute.

    6. Re: Toys for Thugs by jawtheshark · · Score: 3, Informative
      I only read the headline, and I assumed it *would* be the i8. That said: the i8 is not an electric vehicle. It's a hybrid, which is electric up to 120kmh and the petrol engine kicks in for anything above that. Still decent, and I presume you can drive it as an all electric most of the time. That still makes it a hybrid.

      Where I live, the police got two Teslas for police usage. The funny part is: they are not street legal, because the blue lights are aftermarket and were mounted by the police maintenance. The service that checks for road fitness refuses to give them the "ok" because that needs to be tested in a wind canal and they don't have one. So, they are scheduled to be tested abroad and to get their street legality certificate but they have been standing around unused for months.

      Other brands of cars don't have this problem, because if you order a police car from them, the lights are already mounted by the manufacturer and the paperwork is ok.

      --
      Ahhh...the great dumpster continuum. Many a free computer will be found there. -- sowth (748135)
    7. Re: Toys for Thugs by BlueStrat · · Score: 1

      Better police training won't fix the badlaws and the kangaroo courts.

      By the same token, fixing "badlaws" and kangaroo courts won't necessarily fix policing. Besides, one does not preclude the other. There's no reason both can't be tackled simultaneously.

      Gotta start somewhere. Starting where the government force meets the people is a pretty good place to start.in my opinion, if the goal is to improve relations and reduce crime and violence (both by criminals and bad cops) in our neighborhoods.

      Strat

      --
      Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
    8. Re:Toys for Thugs by stephanruby · · Score: 1

      the job is tough and high stress, perks like this improve working conditions and make for better officers as long as it is not abused

      You wanna bet that the people using those cars are the high ranking officers or the administrative staff of those high ranking officers (and not the stressed frontline police officers that you're talking about). Because that's what happens when you have a limited amount of perks to give out, they tend to percolate up to the top.

    9. Re: Toys for Thugs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That is a really cheap lease. I pay more than that for a bloody Nissan Sentra!

    10. Re: Toys for Thugs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If the training includes "If you see someone being a dick, report him/her", it would. Not all police are dicks. The dicks thrive because the police culture includes not reporting them.

    11. Re: Toys for Thugs by gnick · · Score: 1

      ...tested in a wind canal...

      What's the purpose of testing these cars in a wind tunnel? Are they just making sure the lights don't tear through the roof and fly away? They'd go nuts with the pizza delivery signs that get driven around on top of cars around here. I think those are magnetic.

      --
      He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
    12. Re:Toys for Thugs by judoguy · · Score: 1

      In most sane countries, the proper response to non-active duty use of idle vehicles, as long as it was reasonable use...

      In Minneapolis the cops drive their squad cars all the time even off duty. The LEO across the street from me said it was policy because it's thought that the presence of squad cars helps suppress some illegal activity. It gives the impression of more active patrols than are really scheduled. This is partly true because even an off duty cop might step in when needed. I know that I liked having his squad car parked across the street at night.

      I definitely felt that it had at least the potential for suppressing mischief.

      --
      Peace is easy to achieve, just surrender. Liberty is much harder get/keep.
    13. Re: Toys for Thugs by Firethorn · · Score: 1

      Nothing more expensive than paid for and not used - indeed. If they aren't being used otherwise, why NOT use them to get lunches and such? That's better than nothing! Hell, it still prevents a little pollution used that way.

      --
      I don't read AC A human right
    14. Re: Toys for Thugs by Thelasko · · Score: 1

      Those BMWs are fucking ugly looking pieces of shit for stupid faggets. Give them Teslas.

      Done!

      --
      One of our competitors trademarked the term "hypothesis". From now on, we will call them "boneheaded ideas".
    15. Re: Toys for Thugs by jawtheshark · · Score: 1

      No idea. It’s the explanation I heard. Fact is: two Tesla S have been standing here unused for months.

      --
      Ahhh...the great dumpster continuum. Many a free computer will be found there. -- sowth (748135)
    16. Re: Toys for Thugs by arth1 · · Score: 1

      I only read the headline, and I assumed it *would* be the i8. That said: the i8 is not an electric vehicle. It's a hybrid, which is electric up to 120kmh and the petrol engine kicks in for anything above that. Still decent, and I presume you can drive it as an all electric most of the time. That still makes it a hybrid.

      Yes, and the electric-only range is rather short - 50 miles, if I remember correctly. But if you switch it to hybrid mode, it'll recharge, and whenever you brake, it will send that energy to the battery too, so it's not too limiting in practice.
      For a police car, it'll still be a good choice if cruising in hybrid mode to keep the batteries topped off (setting aside the environmental impact of having to use petrol too), because most emergency calls aren't going to be 50 miles, and then you'll have the extra power.

      Neither the i3 nor the i8 nor the Tesla for that matter can handle prisoners in the back, so it would be for first response only. Until someone comes out with a police special car that is electric.

    17. Re: Toys for Thugs by trg83 · · Score: 1

      I'm having some difficulty understanding why getting lunch in a police car is considered some sort of silver bullet proving police misconduct. Don't you normally get your lunch in your police vehicle if you are a police officer?

    18. Re:Toys for Thugs by eaglesrule · · Score: 1

      I can give my own anecdote about this. Having lived near a busy intersection where people seemed to enjoy testing the maximum acceleration of their custom-exhaust equipped vehicle (i.e. no muffler), noise was a bit of an issue. The state police in this area had the policy of letting officers park their cruisers at home when off duty, and when my new cop neighbor moved in it was amazing the difference it made.

    19. Re: Toys for Thugs by arth1 · · Score: 1

      Don't you normally get your lunch in your police vehicle if you are a police officer?

      Not all police officers spend their day in a vehicle. It just seems that way.

    20. Re: Toys for Thugs by Agent0013 · · Score: 1

      I believe you that the Tesla's are sitting unused. I don't thin aftermarket light bars are the problem. I have been interviewing the "upfitters" that put all the police gear into a car to make it into a police vehicle. The manufacturer mounting of some of the lights is not used all that often because it is more expensive and quality gear is not used. So it is pretty common for the top light bar especially to be put on in the upfitters garage. And every police department I have ever heard of just gets the new car when it is done. No wind tunnel needs are anything.

      I will concede that it is possible that they requested this because it is a new vehicle and they want to make sure that the mountings hold. But I am pretty certain they don't need to do that each year when the new models come out, so I'm not so sure.

      --

      -- ssoorrrryy,, dduupplleexx sswwiittcchh oonn.. -Quote found on actual fortune cookie.
    21. Re: Toys for Thugs by jawtheshark · · Score: 1

      Indeed, it's not needed each year. It's the initial "homologation" that needs to be done. I'm short on details, but the different procedures are hard to compare because of national rules. I'm obviously not in the US, and even within European countries rules may vary widely for such things.

      --
      Ahhh...the great dumpster continuum. Many a free computer will be found there. -- sowth (748135)
  3. Wait: A policemen used a police car to get lunch? by Nova+Express · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Stop the freaking presses!

    Yes, electric BMWs are a wasteful boondoggle, but using one to get lunch doesn't even cause the police abuse meter to twitch.

    If it was NYPD in the 1970s, they'd be using the cars to pimp out their own hookers to drug dealers...

    --
    Lawrence Person (lawrencepersonh@gmailh.com (remove all "h"s to mail)

    http://www.lawrenceperson.com/

  4. What a shock by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ..and people wonder why big government gets a bad rap. What a waste.

    1. Re:What a shock by viperidaenz · · Score: 1

      Isn't this little government, or maybe middle government?
      big government would be the feds. LAPD is city level.

    2. Re:What a shock by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 4, Interesting

      No this is LA it is big Government. The LA budget is 8.7 billion dollars which puts it ahead of 10 States.

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    3. Re:What a shock by RogueWarrior65 · · Score: 1

      That's from the battery. See what I did there?

    4. Re:What a shock by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      and people wonder why big government gets a bad rap. What a waste.

      Humans are wasteful, period. I can give private-sector horror-stories also (Intel for example). If we burn everything that's wasteful or mismanaged, civilization would be charcoal. It's the "rid-because-imperfect" fallacy.

      By the same logic, we would dismantle Wells Fargo Bank entirely after they massively tacked on service charges without asking customer permission.

      Mistakes get made. Confess, fix, learn, and move on.

    5. Re:What a shock by Xenoproctologist · · Score: 2

      And the LA population is 4 million, which puts it ahead of 24 States. Combine the city's budget with California's, on a per capita basis, and it wouldn't even break into the upper third of State budgets.

      So, what?

    6. Re:What a shock by PrimaryConsult · · Score: 2

      The difference is when the government wastes money the taxpayers lose out. When the private sector wastes money the company goes out of business (or the government bails them out, but that's less than half the time).

    7. Re:What a shock by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      When the private sector wastes money the company goes out of business

      No, because it's relative.

    8. Re:What a shock by q_e_t · · Score: 1

      The difference is when the government wastes money the taxpayers lose out. When the private sector wastes money the company goes out of business (or the government bails them out, but that's less than half the time).

      It depends how competitive the market sector is, and how long the wastefulness continues.

    9. Re:What a shock by dehachel12 · · Score: 1
      >big government gets a bad rap

      wait till you feel the effects of big corp.

    10. Re:What a shock by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      $8.7 billion would put LA right in the middle of the Fortune 500, if it was "revenue". We talk about Big Business being the Fortune 500; well, the city of LA has a budget that would put it right on-par with Big Business, and it has the ability to not only create regulations and laws that affect business and individuals, but also enforce those regulations and laws via threat of force. Big Government kicks in nicely for LA.

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
  5. The supposed reason... by mi · · Score: 4, Interesting

    According to TFA, the Department's employees explained their reluctance to use the environment-friendly vehicles by their low mileage:

    But sources say some personnel are reluctant to use the electric cars because they can only go 80-100 miles on a charge.

    Strange — though low in comparison with a gasoline- or (especially) diesel-powered car, the distance seems quite sufficient for a city's police car. Do they really ever need to exceed 50 miles in a day?

    --
    In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
    1. Re:The supposed reason... by msauve · · Score: 3, Funny

      Cops are stupid. Give an electric vehicle with an 80 mile range to a maintenance worker, and watch them nap twice a day while it's recharging.

      --
      "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
    2. Re:The supposed reason... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Where I'm from, I rarely see cops walking a beat anymore - I only see police cars. I see this to mean that people on the street are below their radar - they expect people to run away in the fast possible manner, and hence they need cars. To be fair, criminals often have cars and use them to get away. Now the question is whether the police are a likely to catch the criminal in an electric car? If the cops can't go as fast or as long as the criminal, I think it is unlikely. I expect that cops want the power in reserve to use when needed, and so they would prefer to drive high powered vehicles. Their preference may not be relevent, but their results are.

    3. Re:The supposed reason... by PCM2 · · Score: 2

      Do they really ever need to exceed 50 miles in a day?

      I don't know. I wouldn't be shocked if they did that much in L.A. The thing is, I've heard it said that because police cars spend so much time idling while the officers are doing paperwork, sipping coffee, etc, cop car mechanics have instruments to tell them how long the engine has actually been running, rather than just looking at the odometer. I imagine an all-electric vehicle would get less overall wear and tear in this way, because the motor isn't doing anything when you're not moving?

      --
      Breakfast served all day!
    4. Re:The supposed reason... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Once suspect flees in car, you won't see 10 of BMW i3 chasing the suspect. Way before the i3 deplete the battery, they will call backups after backups which are not battery powered cars.

    5. Re:The supposed reason... by iggymanz · · Score: 4, Informative

      looking at stats for patrol cars in Chicago and nearby (which have 2 or 3 operators per day), 120+ miles per day is normal

    6. Re:The supposed reason... by viperidaenz · · Score: 1

      I doubt it would get 50 miles of involved in a car chase.
      It would probably switch to limp-mode after 10 minutes with a hot battery. Like the old Tesla when they tried to send it around the Nurburgring

      It also has a top speed of just 93MPH
      Want to out-run a BMW i3? Put your foot down for more than 10 seconds. 20 if you have a slow car.

    7. Re:The supposed reason... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Gotta move the doughnut shop a little closer for these poor guys.

      Speaking of which, how come Krispy Kream doesn't use real chocolate? It's just brown colored glaze, and it sucks!

    8. Re:The supposed reason... by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

      Yeah? Let's you outrun a Motorola

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    9. Re:The supposed reason... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You do not out accelerate an electric car. Their torque is insane.

    10. Re:The supposed reason... by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

      Let's see...

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    11. Re:The supposed reason... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Our shiny new single-bullet iGuns cover 99% of our usage cases. If we ever need more than one bullet we'll just call in the luddite cops with their luddite guns."

    12. Re:The supposed reason... by iggymanz · · Score: 1

      here it's Dunkin' Donuts where the cops get their donuts, there are SIX in my suburb alone. In the city limits of Chicago there are 166.

    13. Re:The supposed reason... by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      I imagine an all-electric vehicle would get less overall wear and tear in this way, because the motor isn't doing anything when you're not moving?

      It's enough to have an electric heat pump in a hybrid. It will auto stop-start and it doesn't need to idle to run the HVAC. Basically everything is going hybrid now, except pure sports cars. It's an option at the moment, but soon you won't be able to buy really anything without electrification.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    14. Re:The supposed reason... by thestuckmud · · Score: 1

      I doubt it would get 50 miles of involved in a car chase.

      Don't forget horrific understeer and a suspension lacking the ability to keep the car's bicycle-width tires on the road. On the other hand, the last time I was there, LA freeway traffic moved at speeds closer to 9.3mph than 93. Moreover, I seems to me that you are missing the point if you think all police vehicles need to be chase cars, but then there must be some reason these cars are not being driven.

    15. Re:The supposed reason... by Khyber · · Score: 1

      I got a couple of nitromethane RCs that might want to take you up on that statement.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    16. Re:The supposed reason... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You do not out accelerate an electric car. Their torque is insane.

      True, but he said out run. That would be easy because the i3 is weak for an electric car and the range extender isn't like on a Volt - instead its more of an emergency use only deal that doesn't allow you to continue on at full speed.

      So just keep on the gas and you'll outrun it in anything, probably even a twenty five year old Geo Metro.

    17. Re:The supposed reason... by jrumney · · Score: 1

      Electric cars have far more torque than petrol cars and a lower center of gravity, so in city chases, they would perform better. By the time the supect gets on the highway, the backup will be there.

    18. Re:The supposed reason... by aaarrrgggh · · Score: 1

      Also add in their electronics and you have a pretty significant drain.

      I never thought these were supposed to be cruisers though, just general department cars and maybe parking/traffic enforcement. Administrative use is reasonable; the department is huge and there are quite a few people who need to shuffle between the various sites with pool vehicles.

    19. Re:The supposed reason... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They don't necessarily have MORE torque, they have instant torque which provides higher torque at lower speeds.

      "Gas engines do still perform better at very high speeds than electric—so motorsports and law enforcement may stay gas-dependent for longer."
      http://fortune.com/2015/11/17/electric-motors-crush-gas-engines/

    20. Re:The supposed reason... by kenh · · Score: 1

      Do they really ever need to exceed 50 miles in a day?

      Yes.

      Police cruisers are typically run three shifts a day, seven days a week - only driving 100 miles/day between charges which can be as quick as 30 minutes on a DC charger or the more typical 3 hours using fast charge technology. A gas engine can be ordered with the car to give it a 150 mile range (the car can not run for any extended period on the gasoline engine, it is only to charge the battery).

      Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      A police cruiser, coasting through town at an average of 20 MPH (typically going faster, but factoring in time the car is not moving) would have the car being charged twice a shift, forcing two 30 minute charge periods per shift, assuming the city installed the DC chargers in the station parking garage. I have to wonder, at six full charges per day, (2x per shift, 3x shifts per day) how long will the battery packs last - will they last as long as the lease payments?

      --
      Ken
    21. Re:The supposed reason... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Police cruisers

      These vehicles were not equipped nor purposed as cruisers, making all of your remarks irrelevant.

      The contract actually specified their role, if you'd bothered to read it.

      Surprise, Surprise, the LAPD has more than one use-case scenario, and utilizes more than one vehicle to do so.

    22. Re:The supposed reason... by viperidaenz · · Score: 1

      Don't all patrol cars need to be able to chase? Obviously not all of them at the same time.
      If the closest officer to an incident can't respond, there really wasn't any point in them being there in the first place. May as well stay at the station. If they had to get somewhere, may as well have taken a cab.

      The tire comment is quite relevant. It's probably the only car over 1000kg to ever be sold with 155 tires, ever. According to BMW it's curb weight is 1,467kb/3,234lbs.
      Even a Fiat 500 has 185 width tires.

      They can't arrest someone without calling for backup either. Nowhere to put someone where they can't reach the driver.

    23. Re:The supposed reason... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If there was a good reason for switching, that would be reasonable.

      I'm not sure what benefits these cars provide over normal ones aside from being better for the environment*, so I won't try arguing in their favor, but there are always pros and cons, aiming for a solution that does everything even if you don't need 99% of the extra features 99% of the time is how you end up with expensive monstrosities like the F-35, the end result may be great, but is it worth the cost?

      *At least locally, as I understand it LA has pretty bad air quality, so the more gas/diesel cars replaced by an electric the better. If you take in to account the environmental impact of their manufacture combined with their low use, it may be a net loss.

    24. Re:The supposed reason... by strikethree · · Score: 1

      Strange â" though low in comparison with a gasoline- or (especially) diesel-powered car, the distance seems quite sufficient for a city's police car. Do they really ever need to exceed 50 miles in a day?

      While I am not a police officer, I have performed similar duties in city a bit smaller than Los Angeles. I racked up about 280 miles a day.

      --
      "Someone needs to talk to the tree of liberty about its ghoulish drinking problem." by ohnocitizen
  6. Management and Government Finances at their finest by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Informative

    Los Angeles is mostly full of trash no matter how you slice it and most times I'd rather be around the police than the citizens they have to babysits.. "HOLLYWOOD BRO! SMOKE WEED BRO! THATS GUCCI BRO!"

  7. Re:Management and Government Finances at their fin by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Lemme guess: You're posting this from your mom's basement in Alabama and you have never been to Los Angeles. NEXT!

  8. Two hours at 25mph is a shift? by raymorris · · Score: 4, Informative

    In an eight-shift, yes a cop will drive a lot more than 50 miles.

    1. Re:Two hours at 25mph is a shift? by RightwingNutjob · · Score: 1

      And LA is pretty big.

    2. Re:Two hours at 25mph is a shift? by mi · · Score: 1

      In an eight-shift, yes a cop will drive a lot more than 50 miles.

      Just how big does his beat need to be for distances like that? Long like that and without stopping at the station — where he can switch to another, fully recharged, car?

      Sure, if you are driving on a highway with low-to-moderate traffic, you can cover 50 miles in less than 1 hour, but that's not the typical use for police patrol car...

      --
      In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
    3. Re:Two hours at 25mph is a shift? by whoever57 · · Score: 4, Informative

      These vehicles had the range-extender engine (REx), so daily max range is about 150 - 200 miles (depending on the battery option).

      --
      The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
    4. Re:Two hours at 25mph is a shift? by viperidaenz · · Score: 1

      Unless you drive it on the highway, then it's 50 miles.

      https://newatlas.com/2017-bmw-...

      At 80MPH on a Wyoming highway the battery was flat after 50 miles. The range extender is only 25kW, so top speed is limited to 75MPH on flat road with no head-wind. 100% to 0% in a little over half an hour of cruising.

      I doubt it would last 10 minutes in a car chase. Probably overheat the battery or motor in 5.

    5. Re:Two hours at 25mph is a shift? by thestuckmud · · Score: 2

      At 80MPH on a Wyoming highway the battery was flat after 50 miles

      That range is worrisome. Fortunately, it is also incorrect. Read that article again and you'll see its author drove 100 miles before needing the range extender (the first leg was 50 highway miles). That 100 mile range is about what I get in my (battery only) i3. Hot and cold weather reduce the distance the car will go, but the range extender on those LAPD i3s eliminates the risk of being stranded in urban areas since the gas tank can be refilled indefinitely (though with very poor performance).

      These cars are plainly useful for trips taking up to about 2 hours; they are fun to drive if not particularly sporty; their small size makes them easy to pack and maneuver; and a level 3 charger will top off the battery in an hour. Also, range anxiety disappears for most EV drivers as they get familiar with driving their cars.

      Something else is going wrong with this program, but TFA doesn't provide a satisfying answer. I wonder what it is.

    6. Re:Two hours at 25mph is a shift? by Solandri · · Score: 1

      The range extender is fed by a tiny 2.4 gallon tank, so only adds a bit more than 60 miles. Realistically it'll be closer to 40-50 miles since you're not going to want to drive into the gas station on fumes. The reason for this CARB (California Air Resources Board). They set the rules for what defines an EV. For an EV to be linked to a gas engine, the engine cannot drive the wheels directly (it has to drive a generator), and it cannot have more range on gas than on battery. The original i3 had a minimum electric range of 80 miles, so the fuel tank on the i3 with range extender is sized to prevent it from exceeding that range on gasoline.

      If the range extender had provided more range, CARB would classify the i3 as a PHEV - partial hybrid electric vehicle, or what's more commonly referred to as a plug-in hybrid. That eliminates it from qualifying for full ZEV credits. Since those credits were the whole reason BMW made the i3, you're stuck with a 2.4 gallon tank.

    7. Re:Two hours at 25mph is a shift? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have a i3 Rex and I have driven 600 miles doing 70 mile hoping between petrol stations and the first 100 miles on battery alone

    8. Re:Two hours at 25mph is a shift? by jaseuk · · Score: 1

      The typical use is driving round continuously at maybe 20-25mph average patrolling a town/city I guess. So that car is going to last 4-5 hrs with a few donut stops. Police also operate 24 hrs, the car isn't expected to get a break. If they need to be ready to attend an incident a few miles out at any given time, it's easy to see how these things are totally impractical for police work. Maintaining a 2x-3x larger fleet for hot spares just seems to be throwing more money at a bad idea.

      By way of comparison the london black cab company is producing a hybrid that can do 70 miles electric then a further 400 off gasoline. That sort of arrangement would have been much more suited to the police typical use. A city taxi isn't that different usage pattern to a police patroller.

    9. Re:Two hours at 25mph is a shift? by be951 · · Score: 1

      These are not patrol cars. They're for administrative staff usage.

    10. Re:Two hours at 25mph is a shift? by kenh · · Score: 1

      Just how big does his beat need to be for distances like that? Long like that and without stopping at the station — where he can switch to another, fully recharged, car?

      So, in your mind the police force needs to have two electric cars to keep one car on patrol? Doesn't that seem a little excessive/expensive? It takes between 30 minutes to 3 hours to charge the car, it takes 3-5 minutes to fill the tank of an internal combustion cruiser. If you have to purchase twice as many cars, which means 2x everything in the cruiser, when do the savings kick in?

      These cruisers were a stupid waste of city resources ($16M to buy useless patrol cars).

      --
      Ken
    11. Re:Two hours at 25mph is a shift? by kenh · · Score: 1

      the range extender on those LAPD i3s eliminates the risk of being stranded in urban areas since the gas tank can be refilled indefinitely (though with very poor performance).

      The electric i3 is a battery charging engine, the car does not run on it - it puts out a fraction of the power the battery produces, so once the battery runs down to zero, the car is dead until you add gasoline and let the car sit while you run the gasoline generator to put some power in the batteries.

      These cars are plainly useful for trips taking up to about 2 hours; they are fun to drive if not particularly sporty; their small size makes them easy to pack and maneuver; and a level 3 charger will top off the battery in an hour. Also, range anxiety disappears for most EV drivers as they get familiar with driving their cars.

      Something else is going wrong with this program, but TFA doesn't provide a satisfying answer. I wonder what it is.

      The answer is that a police cruiser runs typically three 8 hour shifts in a day, seven days a week. This car can go 2-3 hours before it needs to rest for an hour and recharge. In a 24 hour period that's as many as 8 charging cycles which means eight hours of down time per day. Compare that to a Chevy Caprice which can go all shift on one tankful of gasoline with virtually no required downtime (refill gasoline tank in 3-5 minutes).

      --
      Ken
    12. Re:Two hours at 25mph is a shift? by kenh · · Score: 1

      Since those credits were the whole reason BMW made the i3, you're stuck with a 2.4 gallon tank.

      The fuel tank in the US model is reportedly "software-limited" to 1.9 Gallons.

      --
      Ken
    13. Re:Two hours at 25mph is a shift? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I used to work as a mechanic at a Ford dealership that handled most of the major police contracts in and around Atlanta.

      I could probably swap an eninge in a crown vic police interceptor in about 2 hours, assuming I had the tools.

      If it was a local sherrif, wed see it get about as much use as a busy family car.

      Atlanta PD though? They'd easily put 100k miles on a car in a year.
      I am not going very far on the limb here to assume LA is much the same. In that case 200 miles just doesnt cut the mustard here. Maybe it would work fine for the local deputy that takes his car home with him at night, but it does not work in a shared squad car that is run 24 hours a day by at least two different shifts of cops.

      No this is all about the range of the cars. This was a horrible idea for police cars. This would have been an ok idea maybe for deputys serving summons, or a city clerk or something.

      Have city hall buy them some actual police cars and give these to the court clerks and admins in city hall to use. PROBLEM SOLVED.

    14. Re:Two hours at 25mph is a shift? by thestuckmud · · Score: 1

      The electric i3 is a battery charging engine, the car does not run on it - it puts out a fraction of the power the battery produces, so once the battery runs down to zero, the car is dead until you add gasoline and let the car sit while you run the gasoline generator to put some power in the batteries.

      Not so. The gas powered generator turns on when the battery charge drops below a factory set threshold, and the car keeps running though with greatly reduced performance.

      The answer is that a police cruiser runs typically three 8 hour shifts in a day, seven days a week...

      Are you saying that all of the LAPD's marked vehicles are used for this type of driving? I had not considered that possibility (because it is untrue).

    15. Re:Two hours at 25mph is a shift? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Since those credits were the whole reason BMW made the i3

      I doubt a tax arrangement in a single overseas export market is an important factor when investing in the development and manufacturing of a new car model. I think average CO2 targets were a much more important reason.

    16. Re:Two hours at 25mph is a shift? by jittles · · Score: 1

      Are you saying that all of the LAPD's marked vehicles are used for this type of driving? I had not considered that possibility (because it is untrue).

      For the LAPD, they probably have some extra marked vehicles to cover maintenance, accidents, and other issues that cause extended downtime. However, I doubt that LAPD has a large surplus of marked vehicles They've been running a large police force for a long time and likely know exactly what percentage of spare vehicles they need to keep. If you were referring to unmarked vehicles then, yes, I would say you're right. They probably don't run all of those 24/7. LAPD does not allow their patrol officers use of their vehicle outside of their normal patrol shift.

    17. Re:Two hours at 25mph is a shift? by whoever57 · · Score: 1

      I think that CARB already classifies the i3 with REx as a plugin hybrid. Those i3s get green carpool stickers, not the white stickers that EVs get.

      https://www.driveclean.ca.gov/...

      --
      The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
  9. Re:Wait: A policemen used a police car to get lunc by JBMcB · · Score: 1

    Yes, electric BMWs are a wasteful boondoggle, but using one to get lunch doesn't even cause the police abuse meter to twitch.

    It does if it costs taxpayers $15/mile to operate.

    --
    My Other Computer Is A Data General Nova III.
  10. Amazing1.com by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    me & my coo friends are waiting for rc battle-mech assemble-able drones in the likeness of Voltron but dispense pepper spray and taser and shoot napalm and tranquilizing darts.

  11. Re:Wait: A policemen used a police car to get lunc by Xenx · · Score: 4, Informative

    It doesn't cost $15/mile to operate. The lease payment divided by the number of miles driven on average is $15/mile.

  12. Re:Wait: A policemen used a police car to get lunc by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Misleading number. The ones that never leave the parking garage cost $/mile.

    Doesn't change that it's yet another pile of cash flushed down the virtue-signaling toilet, but no need to dishonestly exaggerate.

  13. Re:Wait: A policemen used a police car to get lunc by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yeah, why wouldn't it just silently swallow my infinity symbol with no warning or ability to edit? It's not like we're pretending to be a professionally-designed message board here or anything.

  14. Re:Wait: A policemen used a police car to get lunc by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

    It doesn't cost $15/mile to operate. The lease payment divided by the number of miles driven on average is $15/mile.

    Exactly. By adding to the total distance, driving to lunch pushed down the average dollar per mile cost, and likely actually saved the taxpayers money.

    These journalists should learn how to do basic math, and stop pestering the police.

  15. Re:Wait: A policemen used a police car to get lunc by Xenx · · Score: 1

    Obviously, driving down the lease cost per mile wouldn't actually change anything itself. However, given that they're already paying the lease on the electric cars.. any use of electric over gasoline would be a savings to the taxpayers.

  16. Smug by Templer421 · · Score: 1, Funny

    But it DOES get much more Smugness per mile.

    1. Re:Smug by pipingguy · · Score: 1

      And they don't have to use turn signals because BMW.

    2. Re:Smug by eaglesrule · · Score: 1

      When I'm driving my BMW I leave my turn signal on just so people will look at me.

  17. New California by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No comment.

  18. the much maligned obsession with BMW by nimbius · · Score: 4, Interesting

    the LAPD did this about a decade ago when they switched motorcycles from Harley Davidson to BMW. BMW insisted the sticker price was justified as it represented increased reliability and longevity. the LA Times however found in 2016 that BMW motorcycles actually required more frequent, and more expensive maintenance. But hey, if our local rich kids and celebrities can have BMW, then god damnit so can our cops.

    --
    Good people go to bed earlier.
    1. Re:the much maligned obsession with BMW by stephanruby · · Score: 1

      Yes, BMW is worse than Harley Davidson in terms of maintenance and cost of ownership, but both are actually pretty bad. LAPD should just have gone with a Japanese brand like Yamaha instead.

    2. Re:the much maligned obsession with BMW by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They'll never be as good as the K900Cs. Now get off my damn lawn.

    3. Re:the much maligned obsession with BMW by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Did you consider that maybe they switched away from Harley Davidson because they're completely unsafe at-speed?

      CHP Test Riders Experience the Harley-Wobble / Harley-Weave

    4. Re:the much maligned obsession with BMW by KeensMustard · · Score: 1

      Also I suppose the BMWs have the advantage in cases where, for example, you need some speed, or you need to go around a corner or weave through traffic. Say, if you have to go somewhere and time is of the essence because a crime has been committed, or you see someone who is not following the road rules and they speed off and you judge it best to try and catch them. I guess these would be situations that might happen to members of the LAPD - perhaps even more often than needing to make loud fart like noises and look like a moron.

  19. Re:Wait: A policemen used a police car to get lunc by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    idiot, those cars should be used generally. For personal and for duty. Lease fewer and make their use mandatory. There's enough gas guzzlers already in use.
    Electric cars are a good thing, use them.

  20. hey by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    when at-spi2 became core for opera browser?

  21. Re: Creimer is stupid and a fat b by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Have you stopped raping your neighbor's goats yet?

  22. Re:Wait: A policemen used a police car to get lunc by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hey, did you take that dementia quiz that was making the rounds yesterday? You might want to try it out.

  23. Re: Wait: A policemen used a police car to get lun by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It does if it costs taxpayers $15/mile to operate.

    Which it doesn't. So what's your point?

  24. thuggery by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    REMEMBER THE MURDER OF IAN MURDOCH, creator of Debian Linux and leading member of the Free Software community, killed Christmas 2015 by the notoriously corrupt San Francisco police department.

    1. Re:thuggery by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Okay, but what does that have to do with the price of tea in China?

  25. Re: Creimer is stupid and a fat b by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nope, you’re still plowing them every night, Chris.

  26. CA by markdavis · · Score: 0

    >"one vehicle ends up costing taxpayers over $15 a mile to use."

    What do they care? It is California. Money means nothing to them, which is why they have more debt than any other state and the worse credit rating of ANY state. But keep on pushing that "feel good" stuff... gotta spend, spend, spend, raise taxes to the highest in the nation and yet still spend, spend, spend some more.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

    1. Re:CA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >"one vehicle ends up costing taxpayers over $15 a mile to use."

      What do they care? It is California. Money means nothing to them, which is why they have more debt than any other state and the worse credit rating of ANY state. But keep on pushing that "feel good" stuff... gotta spend, spend, spend, raise taxes to the highest in the nation and yet still spend, spend, spend some more.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

      They are actually even more delusional than you realize:

      https://yescalifornia.org/

      The rest of us could only dream of this coming true, but of course it won't happen.

    2. Re:CA by Gavagai80 · · Score: 1

      California has a 6 billion dollar budget surplus and a sizable rainy day fund. It has more debt than any other state because it has twice as many people as any other state, obviously... and also direct democracy where voters keep voting for bond measures.

      --
      This space intentionally left blank
    3. Re:CA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      which is why they have more debt than any other state

      California is the largest state by population with over 12 million more people than the next, Texas. Of course it would have more debt, that's how funding works. California's per capita debt is actually 14th in the nation, and only slightly over the national average.

      and the worse credit rating of ANY state

      Nope. Illinois is worse.

      California has an AA-, the same as Connecticut, Kansas, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and one better than New Jersey, and far better than Illinois.

      But keep on pushing that "feel good" stuff... gotta spend, spend, spend, raise taxes to the highest in the nation and yet still spend, spend, spend some more.

      Sorry markdavis, but you're the one pushing the "feel good" stuff as you have to recklessly bash California, California, California.

      Yet your accusations are not accurate, and are not based on substance.

      For example, you didn't account for Federal Funding, which California ranks 43rd in as a % of state funding, and relatively low per capita.

      That California actually pays substantially more in Federal taxes than almost any other state, tends to make the problem not California's but the rest of the nation for being a leech.

    4. Re:CA by kenh · · Score: 1

      So they run a $6BN surplus each year, yet have insane debt levels?

      Which is it, are they "banking" $6BN/yr or are they increasing their debt by spending more than they have? Hard to see how they are doing both simultaneously. Any idea what California does with their "surplus" each year? (Note - as soon as they spend it, it's no longer "surplus", it's "spending".)

      --
      Ken
    5. Re:CA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So they run a $6BN surplus each year, yet have insane debt levels?

      Their debt levels are not insane, but are rather normal. As of 2016, their state revenues were 155 billion a year, their state debt was 151 billion.

      That's actually far better than say, the Federal Government, and is rather humdrum in comparison to say, your average person with a house that's mortgaged at several times their annual income.

      But I get it, you just want to declare something without thinking, after all, if you just say it, people will nod and agree, without actually looking at the details.

      Which is it, are they "banking" $6BN/yr or are they increasing their debt by spending more than they have? Hard to see how they are doing both simultaneously.

      Ok, so you're too blind to comprehend the concept of a budgeting year, for whatever reason. Like being purposefully obtuse?

      You know, that just makes you rude, it doesn't actually foster discussion.

      Any idea what California does with their "surplus" each year? (Note - as soon as they spend it, it's no longer "surplus", it's "spending".)

      What they decide to do with it, depends on their priorities, this year, Governor Brown is proposing to put it in the Rainy Day Fund (aka, their emergency piggy bank), which is part of Proposition 2 from 2014, as well as to pay down debt.

      You can read this in the State Budget page.

    6. Re:CA by jpaine619 · · Score: 1

      Their debt levels are not insane, but are rather normal. As of 2016, their state revenues were 155 billion a year, their state debt was 151 billion.

      Are you on drugs? CA's (where I live) debt is FOUR HUNDRED BILLION. Where the fuck did you get $155 BN?

      Per capita debt has reached over $10,000.00

      Total state debt (state / county / local / etc) is ESTIMATED at $1.3 TRILLION (as of 2015). This number is relevant because the state is ultimately responsible for it. When a city goes insolvent the parent county must absorb it. When a county goes insolvent (hasn't happened yet, but it's coming) the state will have to absorb it. That's going to be awful interesting when it actually happens.

      If you don't consider $400B/$1.3T excessive, I'd like some of whatever you are smoking.

      Honestly, I suspect you are one of those fucking liberals who just pulls numbers out of their ass, like old MoonBeam and his "estimates" on the bullet train which have turned out to be nowhere even in the vicinity of reality.

      I took a few minutes to actually look up the figures from some reputable sources.

      By the way, that $400BN number comes from that liberal rag the SF Chronicle so you can't even accuse it of political bias. Unfunded liabilities are DEBT. If you contractually promise someone a pension you MUST provide that pension, doesn't matter if the money has to be paid out today or in 10 years, it MUST be accounted for.

    7. Re:CA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Where the fuck did you get $155 BN?

      Well, TBF the AC you replied to quoted $155 BN as revenue, not deficit or debt. That being said, I'd also like to know where they got that figure.

      http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/2016-17/pdf/Enacted/BudgetSummary/FullBudgetSummary.pdf

      The 2016-17 budget quotes $169 BN as revenue and $232 BN as the total debt/liability (including pension, which IMO isn't appropriate to call a "debt" in this context, but that's beside the point).

      Where does the $400 BN figure come from? The current budget proposal cites $275 BN in liabilities. Is there some other factor that the budget doesn't account for?

      http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/2018-19/pdf/BudgetSummary/FullBudgetSummary.pdf

    8. Re:CA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Let's say I earn $75k/year and have a mortgage balance of $300k.

      Each year, I spend a total of $69k, including paying the mortgage on time. The rest I put into a savings account with Wells Fargo (I'm a trusting SOB, aren't I?).

      At the end of the year, my mortgage balance is down to $295k and my savings account goes up by $6k.

      Look! I have a $6k surplus and still have a high level of debt! I must be a wizard to achieve something so impossible!

    9. Re: CA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are you on drugs? CA's (where I live) debt is FOUR HUNDRED BILLION. Where the fuck did you get $155 BN?

      From California's report on its revenue. You don't need to be rude, you could just politely ask.

      As for your claims about local debt, you are assuming events that have not happened. Not only that, you are ignoring the local revenues.

      Why? Do you think Orange County just disappeared after its bankruptcy?

      If you don't consider $400B/$1.3T excessive, I'd like some of whatever you are smoking.

      Again with the rudeness? But why would I consider something insane without context, which all your claims about debt fail to provide. Like for example, the time period and the revenue. Or the sources. Oddly, you don't mention them at the start. It takes you forever to get to them.

      One of them.

      Honestly, I suspect you are one of those fucking liberals who just pulls numbers out of their ass, like old MoonBeam and his "estimates" on the bullet train which have turned out to be nowhere even in the vicinity of reality.

      And to me, you seem like one of those ranting fools all hot and bothered to spew forth a bunch of numbers so that you can attack your perceived enemies without thinking much about them. Notice your choice of partisanship. That's your problem.

      I took a few minutes to actually look up the figures from some reputable sources.

      Which are? Interesting that you don't name them, or give them much context.

      Instead, you blow up a large number based mostly on conjecture and speculation to allow you to go on a tirade.

      By the way, that $400BN number comes from that liberal rag the SF Chronicle so you can't even accuse it of political bias.

      Don't need to do so, I can point out your error in relying on it, when it is actually misleading.

      For reasons that I have already elucidated.

      Unfunded liabilities are DEBT. If you contractually promise someone a pension you MUST provide that pension, doesn't matter if the money has to be paid out today or in 10 years, it MUST be accounted for.

      No, we are talking about debt. Money loaned to California. Not future expenditures that can be paid for out of future revenues. That's one of the many differences between personal debt and sovereign debt.

      Really, I know you want to confuse the issue, but if you do that, well...it gets messy rather quickly. Especially with all the other States, which I doubt you even bothered to examine.

      Face it, you just want to have a reason to scream about California, beat your chest, and stomp around.

    10. Re: CA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, TBF the AC you replied to quoted $155 BN as revenue, not deficit or debt. That being said, I'd also like to know where they got that figure.

      The US Census Bureau.

      If you want to mix in pensions, we'd have to factor in revenues over a longer period of time, and throwing in local governments requires us to find out their revenues too.

      But you know, I think he just wants to have a reason to bash California so I didn't bother.

  27. Re:Wait: A policemen used a police car to get lunc by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They can't take them on patrol just image the fear of running out of battery. "We been out for an hour and had to return to the station.", "Doughnuts or coffee?", "neither we can do 90 minutes between those, battery recharge."

  28. Re:Management and Government Finances at their fin by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Stoners are much more fun to hang out with than jackbooted fascists...

  29. Re:Wait: A policemen used a police car to get lunc by jrumney · · Score: 1

    Yeah, but give them a BMW, and they start getting their lunch from fancy-pants foreign chains. Think of the devastating effect on Dunkin Donuts. That is improper.

  30. No shit, Sherlock! by nospam007 · · Score: 1

    " With the monthly lease payment of a little more than $418, one vehicle ends up costing taxpayers over $15 a mile to use."

    Duh!
    Well if they drive only 1 mile per month, it will even cost 418€ per mile.

    1. Re:No shit, Sherlock! by kenh · · Score: 1

      It would be more cost-effective for the LAPD to simply hire Uber Eats drivers to pick up lunches for the duration of the current i3 leases with the same $16M they spent on these cars...

      --
      Ken
  31. Re:Wait: A policemen used a police car to get lunc by jrumney · · Score: 1

    It's only costing $15 per mile because they are not using them the rest of the time they aren't fetching lunch.

  32. Re:9-11 was a Jew job by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Jew jobs are the guilty fantasies of anti-semites. Kinda like how bigots shouting "faggot" are secretly curious about what a cock would feel like up their ass

  33. Re:Wait: A policemen used a police car to get lunc by DivineKnight · · Score: 1

    *looks upwards* When was the slashcode last updated?

  34. Re:Management and Government Finances at their fin by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I grew up in LA. There's a lot of pretentious smug assholes. Moving out of that shit hole was the best thing I ever did. Every time I have to go back, within about 2 hours LA has provided me a reminder of why I hated it there. You come in on the 15 and you drive through those hills. 10 minutes later and though you know you drove through them, you'll be damned if you can see them. Then you run into a traffic jam, it runs for 40 miles, but it's just because you're driving at the wrong time of the day. You see, the traffic jams only typically last from 3:00 AM to 2:55 AM, so long as you don't drive during those times you won't get stuck in traffic. Then after the long drive you check in to your hotel. You want to walk to a restaurant to get a bite, but you can't. You see, you're in hotel district, not restaurant district. That's located 10 miles away. And when you get there you get some waiter who's not really a waiter, they're an actor, they're just waiting for their big break. And they're above such things as serving your food, refilling your water, getting you a beer. And of course then when you get pissed off and leave they give you a dirty look because you only left them a 10% tip which you only left that much because you realize most of their income is from tips and you felt sorry for them, but their service wasn't worth a cent. And of course this is typically about the point that the ass hole in the Tesla comes up behind you at about 70 MPH on a 45, swerves in front of you cutting you off and then blows through a red light. Then you get back to the hotel, pay for parking (because why would parking be included in the hotel?) and as you walk in the door, you see the sign telling you that the hotel has been found to contain materials that cause cancer in the state of california, where now you're just thinking oh shit. I'm in california, is there any way to move this hotel out of california so it stops causing cancer. Seriously? Why are things that are perfectly safe else where in the world carcinogens in california? Then of course you'll overhear people complaining about the cost of electricity, and yet talking about how great it is that they're banning fossil fuels and nuclear. Then of course in the off chance that it rains they'll bitch about it, but then bemoan the price of water. I could go on, but I think this rant has gone on long enough.

  35. Re:Wait: A policemen used a police car to get lunc by gnick · · Score: 1

    By adding to the total distance, driving to lunch pushed down the average dollar per mile cost, and likely actually saved the taxpayers money.

    I apologize if that's a joke, but I don't think that's how math works.

    --
    He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
  36. is sounds like a solution looking for a problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    it sounds like a solution looking for a problem, almost like someone didnt even consider what these cars would actually be used for. I know the article says administrative uses, but really any organization should be able to objectivly show how many miles are only administrative use.

    The main reason that these cars seem to not be used is that the police officers who use them are in uniform and at a moments notice could be called to active use in policing, that means that they will need the full suite of tools and performance that a cruiser provides. To put an officer in one of these cars for administrative work means pulling them off of active duty essentially. Considering that most police officers are partially evaluated on number of cases worked, it sounds like someone was hit up by a bmw sales man and maybe offered a reason to ignore such an obvious flaw in the plan.

  37. More Data Needed to Make Judgement by eepok · · Score: 1

    The original purpose of the expense was for the vehicles to be used as "get around" cars. From the 2016 article:

    "'The i3s will be used in a "non-emergency"' capacity — in other words, you won't likely see them engaged in high-speed police chases, but rather for basic department transportation needs and community outreach."

    So they're not going to be used for beats and thus won't have the massive amounts of miles as the Crown Victorias, Taurus, Chargers, or Explorers. Moreover, you have to compare the EV mileage logs against the mileage logs of the internal combustion engine get-around cars. Lastly, with 21 police stations within the LAPD, that's FIVE of these vehicles per station and that's even if they were evenly distributed and not just placed where you could most easily install the EVSEs. That's a lot. There's very little gettting-around needed daily for most staff, so don't expect these to be used constantly.

    Lastly, there's the cost of installing the Level 2 chargers. For non-fleet chargers (ChargePoint point of sale stations), you're looking at $4k-$7k per piece of hardware depending on your bulk negotiating skills. Then there's the cost of trenching out power, installation, and (god forbid) new actual electrical infrastructure like a transformer. That adds up quick.

    To me, it looks like someone thought this would be a great feather in the cap for the Department, but I don't see any malfeasance. Public departments with large fleets are facing *massive* pressure to switch to hybrid, plug-in hybrid, electric, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The public agencies really want to show their environmental sustainability (per public pressures) and the auto manufacturers know that only fleets can sufficiently bolster their alt-fuel divisions until the demand for those vehicles expand beyond the West Coast.

    1. Re:More Data Needed to Make Judgement by amxcoder · · Score: 1

      Community outreach purposes to me means that these are the vehicles that will get paraded into fairs and community events and parked to let the public look at them while some officer lets people crawl in and out of them all day to "check out" the police car up close. Sounds like they were purchased mostly for PR purposes at best. Maybe I'm wrong.

  38. Re:Management and Government Finances at their fin by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Let me guess. You're getting railed by your bear room mate from your LA apartment. Put down the rainbow hookah and step back to reality. NEXT!

  39. Re:Management and Government Finances at their fin by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You're an AC that seems to be up LA's arse. If there is anyone living in a basement, it's you with those Cali prices. Enjoy your waitress job, loser.

  40. Huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "The deputy chief is looking into what CBS found and says the cars are to be used for business only."

    Wouldn't that require honest cops?

  41. Re:Wait: A policemen used a police car to get lunc by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    As I understand it, not supporting those and other characters was a deliberate choice. They were too lazy to work around potential abuse of them.