The Future Police Car: E7 Carbon Motors

As a police officer, I've driven at least 10 different model police cars since I began. Just like writing tickets now with the eCitation, technology for cars is also growing. Each car, or truck, brings different aspects to the field, and as a police officer I had to adjust to those new changes (i.e. truck as opposed to a car, front wheel drive as opposed to rear, 6-cylender instead of 8-cylender, etc.). But now the E7 by Carbon Motors is promising to be the police car of the future. Some believe this new car will replace and take over all police car lineups around the world. Why? From gas mileage, to performance, to officer satisfaction is what we've found.



Police Cars in use today were not made to be Police Cars

The vehicles that law enforcement agencies use today are retail passenger cars that were never designed for law enforcement usage. All the extra needed law enforcement equipment such as lights, gun racks, sirens, radios, cameras, etc.) is purchased later and installed to 'equip" the police car. These extra items cost departments several thousands of dollars more and cost money for labor just to have them installed. With the E7, police departments can but the whole package and not worry about adding anything, as these police cars are ready to go.

Police Officer Safety

According to Carbon Motors, about 50% of all officer injuries occur while in the police car. The argument by Carbon Motors is that yes, these police cars when they were sold as regular passenger cars (before being outfitted with police equipment) were tested for safety and met federal mandates and requirements. However, once the vehicle was outfitted with sirens, lights, shotgun holders, police cages, etc., the vehicle is never required to test again. Carbon Motors believes that with all this extra gear, the police car would not pass some of the required tests.

To counter this, the E7 claims to: meet or exceed all federally mandated safety and operational regulations right off the manufacturer's line, with all law enforcement equipment installed. The result will be a vehicle that offers the highest level of protection, performance, and safety for the men and women charged with ensuring the safety of the American public.


Fuel Economy

Carbon Motors estimates that the average police car gets between 8-14 miles per gallon and can sometimes drive up to 90,000 miles a year. The E7 however uses superior technologies to improve the performance and durability of the law enforcement vehicle, while also providing up to a 40 percent improvement in fuel economy. This alone will save taxpayer dollars and allow those dollars to be better spent.

Emergency Equipment

The E7 says there should be no reason why any agency would need to add or modify the vehicle since it will offer all equipment as factory installed equipment. A major benefit of the E7 is that this equipment will be engineered to be seamlessly integrated into the vehicle and be compliant with federal safety and operational standards. They go on to say that the addition of after-market items may compromise standard equipment functionality, may not comply with federal safety standards, and may invalidate the vehicle warranty. The bottom line is the E7 has taken all the equipment needs into consideration when building it, making it completely ready for law enforcement.

Price

Carbon Motors hasn't officially set a price yet. They claim that their target is to ensure that the initial purchase price of Carbon’s purpose-built vehicle will be comparable to what law enforcement agencies are currently paying for a retail vehicle and after-market equipment combined. The total cost of ownership is where agencies stand to save a generous sum of money due to the E7’s superior engineering, durability and efficiency.

Specifications

OEM Carbon Motors Corporation
Vehicle Platform Codename E7
Brand Carbon Motors™
Nameplate To Be Determined
Assembly Location Under Negotiations
Price Comparable to Retail Passenger Car Outfitted with Law Enforcement Equipment. Detailed pricing will be announced in a few months.

Powertrain / Chassis

Engine Forced Induction Diesel
Recommended Fuel Ultra-low sulfur (ULS) Diesel or BioDiesel
Driveline Rear-Wheel-Drive
Horsepower 300 bhp
Torque 420 lb-ft
Transmission 6-Speed Automatic
Front Brakes 14" Vented Discs, ABS
Rear Brakes 13" Vented Discs, ABS
Wheels 18 x 8" Steel
Tires 245/50R18
Front Suspension Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension Multi-link, coil springs, self-leveling shocks, anti-roll bar

Dimensions

Wheelbase 122.0"
Front Track 66.9"
Rear Track 66.9"
Overall Length 200.0"
Overall Width 78.0"
Overall Height 64.2"
Ground Clearance 7.0"
Curb Weight 4000 lbs
Weight Distribution (front/rear) 50% / 50%
Front Headroom 40.0"
Rear Headroom 38.5"
Front Legroom 45.0"
Cargo Volume 20.0 cu ft
Fuel Capacity 18.0 gallons

Performance

0 - 60 mph 6.5 seconds
Quarter Mile 14.5 seconds @ 98.0 mph
Top Speed 155 mph
Braking 60 - 0 mph 125 feet
Lateral Acceleration 0.85 g
Combined City/Hwy Fuel Economy 28 - 30 mpg

Selected Features and Options

All-new purpose-built vehicle platform exclusively for law enforcement

•Meets or exceeds all regulatory requirements
•Designed to 250,000 mile durability specification
•Turn-key built-to-direct-order - 24/7/365 call center support
•Turn-key end-of-vehicle-life process
•Comprehensive warranty
•Aluminum spaceframe body structure
•75 mph rear impact crash capability
•Cockpit with fully-integrated factory fitted law enforcement equipment
•Integrated emergency lights, spot lights, take down lights, and directional stick
•Segment exclusive coach rear doors for safer suspect ingress and egress
•Vehicle dynamic control
•Anti-lock brakes
•Optimized approach / departure angles and ground clearance
•NIJ Level III-A (or better) ballistic protection (front doors and dash panel)
•Purpose-designed seat for use with on-body equipment - Heated and ventilated seats
•Heads up display
•Reverse backup camera
•Remote start capability
•Driver specific intelligent key
•360 degree exterior surveillance capability
•Automatic license plate recognition system
•Video and audio surveillance of rear passenger compartment
•130hz - 350hz bass siren
•Nightvision compliant interior illumination
•Integrated forward looking infrared system (FLIR)
•Integrated shotgun mounts
•Optimized storage capability (compartment and cargo)
•Integrated front and rear passenger compartment partition
•Hoseable rear passenger compartment
•Integrated push bumpers and PIT capability