- Palo Alto will have the world's first Rivian R1S police cruiser.
- The electric SUV is not exactly ready for duty, though.
- It still needs a light bar and a push bar, among other things.
The first Rivian R1S police cruiser is here, but you shouldn’t hold your breath until you see it roaming the streets of the United States. The black and white electric SUV was bought by the city of Palo Alto for its Police Department, but it will take several months before it’s ready for prime time.
That’s because the EV still needs to be outfitted with specific police equipment like a light bar, a push bar and other accessories. Captain James Reifschneider from the local Police Department told Palo Alto Online that he expects it will take several months before Rivian’s police cruiser will be ready for action. The vehicle is the first of its kind and the businesses that make this sort of equipment aren’t exactly mass-market affairs.
According to Rivian, its engineers are currently working with the city of Palo Alto to buy the custom equipment.
Reifschneider said that while the EV costs roughly $90,000, it has more interior space than the gas-powered Ford Explorer and Dodge Durango that are currently in use with the department. The R1S is also quite fast, capable of going from zero to 60 miles per hour in as little as 2.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 130 mph depending on trim. The report from Palo Alto Online did not specify what battery and motor configuration this R1S has.
While this is the first Rivian police cruiser in the world, it’s certainly not the first electric cop car. Multiple departments around the country have added Tesla and Ford EVs to their fleets, including the controversial Cybertruck pickup. Outside the U.S., Lucid’s Air sedan, as well as Dacia’s affordable Spring EV have made it into various police departments’ fleets.
In Palo Alto’s case, it plans on further electrifying its vehicle fleet, as well as encouraging residents to switch to an EV by incentivizing the installation of home chargers. Earlier this week, Mayor Ed Lauing noted that the city’s programs have helped install no fewer than 263 EV chargers.
