Tesla Police Car's Battery Runs Out During High-Speed Chase
posted by Bill Galluccio - Sep 25, 2019
https://wwnc.iheart.com/content/2019-09-25-tesla-police-cars-battery-runs-out-during-high-speed-chase/A police officer in Fremont, California, was involved in a high-speed chase when the battery on his Tesla died. Officer Jesse Hartman was leading the pursuit, which reached speeds of 120 MPH when he got an alert that his Tesla Model S patrol car had just six miles worth of battery left.
"I am down to six miles of battery on the Tesla so I may lose it here in a sec," Hartman told the dispatcher. "If someone else is able, can they maneuver into the number one spot?"
Another officer was able to take over, but the chase was called off a few minutes later when the suspect started driving on the shoulder to avoid the heavy traffic.
Officers found the car abandoned in the bushes and have issued a felony arrest warrant for the driver.
Hartman didn't have enough battery power to get back home but was able to find a charging station in San Jose. He recharged his Tesla and drove it back to the station in Fremont.
Officials say the electric car ran out of battery power because an officer forgot to plug it in at the end of their shift.
"The Tesla wasn't fully charged at the beginning of the shift," Fremont police spokeswoman Geneva Bosques said. "This, unfortunately, happens from time to time even in our vehicles that run on gas, if they aren't refueled at the end of a shift."
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