Police Officer in Tesla Forced to Call Off Chase After Battery Runs Low

A police officer in a Tesla in Fremont, California was forced to give up while in pursuit when his car's battery ran low during pursuit.

“Just slowed down to six miles of battery on the Tesla, so I may lose it here in a sec,” the the officer in pursuit said, according to audio obtained by KPIX 5.“ “If someone else is able, can they maneuver into the No. 1 spot?”

The pursuit was then taken over by other officers. Eventually the chase was called off due to dangerous driving by the suspect. The vehicle of the suspect was found later in San Jose, abandoned.

This was part of a pilot program that uses 2014 Tesla model S 85s in an effort to cut greenhouse emissions by 25 percent by 2020.

Posted by Fremont Police Department on Thursday, September 12, 2019

“The Tesla wasn’t fully charged at the beginning of the shift,” a spokesperson form the Fremont Police told KPIX 5. “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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