While there are plenty of electric vehicles serving as police cars, the vast majority only see urban use where they can quietly sneak up on criminals without having to travel long distances. You don’t really see EVs on highway patrol duty, but that may change in California. The state recently tested a Lucid Air to evaluate whether it would be a good vehicle to keep the highway safe, and given the Air's unbelievably good electric range, criminals probably shouldn't count on it running out of juice before they do.
Most electric vehicles wouldn’t be as good as a combustion car at patrolling highways, simply because it requires a lot of miles daily, and they can’t compete with ICE in this respect. However, the Lucid Air is the longest-range EV currently available, and its acceleration will embarrass some sports cars. Even the entry-level Air Pure boasts a 420-mile EPA range and 450 horsepower, enabling a zero to 60 mph sprint time of 4.5 seconds, and its price starts at $69,900.
Lucid posted photos of what an Air highway patrol car could look like, although it’s not actually wearing police livery. If you look closer, you’ll see it says “Lucid Pursuit” on the door, featuring a mix of the Lucid logo (a stylized California bear) within a star to make it look like a police crest.
The manufacturer doesn’t say much about this, solely stating that the Air took part in the trials. The manufacturer also touts the Air’s surprisingly cavernous interior for a sedan. This not only makes it comfortable for the officers riding in the front, but the roomy back seat would ensure that people who are detained have room to stretch out, especially if it’s a smaller battery model whose rear footwell is deeper.
Gallery: Lucid Air Highway Patrol
The Air could also carry more police equipment thanks to its front trunk, which adds 10 cubic feet of cargo room on top of the regular trunk’s 22.1 cu ft.
At least one Lucid Air is already in service as a cop car in Dubai, where the police also have several Tesla Model 3s, Model Ys and Cybertrucks. Saudi Arabia also has an Air in its police fleet.
Dubai chose the Lucid Air Grand Touring, which is currently the most expensive variant, costing $109,900, more to flaunt the state’s wealth, not because this variant was required. It’s $40,000 more than the Air Pure, making it an unlikely candidate for the highway patrol role in California, where even the Pure might be considered expensive.
