Cop Car of the Future Has Arrived
04-07-09, 11:06 AM
#1
Cop Car of the Future Has Arrived
Supercar For Cops
Forget about those retro-fitted Crown Victorias and Impalas. Carbon Motors hopes to build a better police cruiser for the future.
Trash collectors drive trash trucks and ambulance drivers drive ambulances. Police, on the other hand, drive cars primarily designed for civilian use that have been loaded down with bolted-on police equipment.
Decades ago, that was fine, says William Santana Li, a former Ford Motor Co. executive who now heads an Atlanta-based company called Carbon Motors.
But today's police cars are jammed full of computer equipment, speed detection equipment, weapons, surveillance equipment and other heavy and complex machinery.
And that's just on the inside. On the outside, special bumper bars and lights get tacked on and -- in some cases -- special fire suppression equipment.
Carbon Motors thinks it can offer something better than the retro-fitted Ford Crown Victorias, Chevrolet Impalas and Dodge Magnums most police officers now drive. Li adds that the Carbon E7, the car's working name, will cost police departments no more than the fully equipped cars they now drive.
On top of all that, the E7 will be stronger, faster, tougher and more fuel-efficient, the company claims. So far, about 650 police departments have expressed interest in the car, Li says, even though production isn't expected to begin before 2012.
When completed -- Carbon plans to unveil a prototype at the end of 2008 in Washington, D.C. -- the Carbon E7 will get to 60 miles per hour in just 6.5 seconds, the company claims. That would be fast for any car, but especially for one expected to weigh about two tons.
At the same time, the company expects fuel economy of 28 to 30 miles per gallon. To make that possible, the E7 will use a turbocharged diesel engine producing up to 300 horsepower and 420 foot-pounds of torque. While diesel fuel is more expensive than gasoline, at today's prices, diesel engines are much more fuel-efficient than gas engines.
The E7's top speed will be 155 mph, according to Carbon Motors.
Inside, the Carbon E7 will have more front legroom than a Ford Crown Victoria (called the Ford Police Interceptor when in uniform), Chevrolet Impala or Dodge Charger, the cars most commonly used by police today.
Rather than being purchased separately and bolted on, police equipment such as computers, license plate readers and speed detection equipment will be pre-installed. That should lead to serious cost savings, Carbon CEO William Li says. Carbon will be able to buy equipment in larger amounts for a lower per-unit cost and can install it more efficiently in cars that are designed for it.
The made-to-order cockpit will also provide a more comfortable and safer workspace for officers, the company claims.
Sgt. Keith Wilson of the Michigan State Police Precision Driving Team agreed that ergonomics can be a problem in police cars. The space is getting tighter while the cops are getting bigger.
"We're getting more troopers in the department that are built like college linemen," he said.
In the back, comfort is less an issue than practicality. Back seat passengers will find about the same legroom as in other police cruisers. The backseat area is designed to be quickly and easily hosed out and wiped down.
The E7's back doors are hinged to open from the front, making it easier to move handcuffed suspects into and out of the back seats.
Another way the Carbon E7 will save fuel, its creators claim, is by building things like flashing lights into the car's body rather than adding them as bolted-on protrusions that increase aerodynamic drag.
The company is researching what types of light colors and flash pattens work best, said Li. That type of research simply hasn't been done before, Carbon CEO William Li says, and some types of flashing lights could actually increase crashes. Instead of warning drivers away, elaborate light displays can attract drunk drivers to head straight into the back of a police cruiser parked beside a highway.
The Carbon E7 will be built to withstand a 75 mile per hour rear impact. High-speed rear impact has been a significant safety worry in other police cars. After concerns were raised about rear-impact fires in Ford police cars, Ford Police Interceptors were fitted with fire prevention and suppression equipment.
The Carbon E7 will be built around an aluminum skeleton that will provide structure and impact safety. Colored dent-resistant body panels will be affixed to that frame as the car is built.
Carbon's plan for the cars includes taking them back after their service life is over. The cars will be stripped down and recycled. Some parts will be used to make new police cars.
The cars will not be sent to used car auctions. The idea is to prevent criminals from getting their hands on decommissioned cop cars.
"The criminal element has been going to these auctions, buying [police cars] and impersonating police officers to run drugs," said Carbon CEO WIlliam Li.
Forget about those retro-fitted Crown Victorias and Impalas. Carbon Motors hopes to build a better police cruiser for the future.
Trash collectors drive trash trucks and ambulance drivers drive ambulances. Police, on the other hand, drive cars primarily designed for civilian use that have been loaded down with bolted-on police equipment.
Decades ago, that was fine, says William Santana Li, a former Ford Motor Co. executive who now heads an Atlanta-based company called Carbon Motors.
But today's police cars are jammed full of computer equipment, speed detection equipment, weapons, surveillance equipment and other heavy and complex machinery.
And that's just on the inside. On the outside, special bumper bars and lights get tacked on and -- in some cases -- special fire suppression equipment.
Carbon Motors thinks it can offer something better than the retro-fitted Ford Crown Victorias, Chevrolet Impalas and Dodge Magnums most police officers now drive. Li adds that the Carbon E7, the car's working name, will cost police departments no more than the fully equipped cars they now drive.
On top of all that, the E7 will be stronger, faster, tougher and more fuel-efficient, the company claims. So far, about 650 police departments have expressed interest in the car, Li says, even though production isn't expected to begin before 2012.
When completed -- Carbon plans to unveil a prototype at the end of 2008 in Washington, D.C. -- the Carbon E7 will get to 60 miles per hour in just 6.5 seconds, the company claims. That would be fast for any car, but especially for one expected to weigh about two tons.
At the same time, the company expects fuel economy of 28 to 30 miles per gallon. To make that possible, the E7 will use a turbocharged diesel engine producing up to 300 horsepower and 420 foot-pounds of torque. While diesel fuel is more expensive than gasoline, at today's prices, diesel engines are much more fuel-efficient than gas engines.
The E7's top speed will be 155 mph, according to Carbon Motors.
Inside, the Carbon E7 will have more front legroom than a Ford Crown Victoria (called the Ford Police Interceptor when in uniform), Chevrolet Impala or Dodge Charger, the cars most commonly used by police today.
Rather than being purchased separately and bolted on, police equipment such as computers, license plate readers and speed detection equipment will be pre-installed. That should lead to serious cost savings, Carbon CEO William Li says. Carbon will be able to buy equipment in larger amounts for a lower per-unit cost and can install it more efficiently in cars that are designed for it.
The made-to-order cockpit will also provide a more comfortable and safer workspace for officers, the company claims.
Sgt. Keith Wilson of the Michigan State Police Precision Driving Team agreed that ergonomics can be a problem in police cars. The space is getting tighter while the cops are getting bigger.
"We're getting more troopers in the department that are built like college linemen," he said.
In the back, comfort is less an issue than practicality. Back seat passengers will find about the same legroom as in other police cruisers. The backseat area is designed to be quickly and easily hosed out and wiped down.
The E7's back doors are hinged to open from the front, making it easier to move handcuffed suspects into and out of the back seats.
Another way the Carbon E7 will save fuel, its creators claim, is by building things like flashing lights into the car's body rather than adding them as bolted-on protrusions that increase aerodynamic drag.
The company is researching what types of light colors and flash pattens work best, said Li. That type of research simply hasn't been done before, Carbon CEO William Li says, and some types of flashing lights could actually increase crashes. Instead of warning drivers away, elaborate light displays can attract drunk drivers to head straight into the back of a police cruiser parked beside a highway.
The Carbon E7 will be built to withstand a 75 mile per hour rear impact. High-speed rear impact has been a significant safety worry in other police cars. After concerns were raised about rear-impact fires in Ford police cars, Ford Police Interceptors were fitted with fire prevention and suppression equipment.
The Carbon E7 will be built around an aluminum skeleton that will provide structure and impact safety. Colored dent-resistant body panels will be affixed to that frame as the car is built.
Carbon's plan for the cars includes taking them back after their service life is over. The cars will be stripped down and recycled. Some parts will be used to make new police cars.
The cars will not be sent to used car auctions. The idea is to prevent criminals from getting their hands on decommissioned cop cars.
"The criminal element has been going to these auctions, buying [police cars] and impersonating police officers to run drugs," said Carbon CEO WIlliam Li.
04-07-09, 01:06 PM
#7
Lexus Champion
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04-07-09, 01:25 PM
#9
executive matchup
so the back seat can be hosed down...so there's a drain somewhere on the floor? does that make sense? 
what happens if the car goes through semi-flooded roads? will water seep in from the drain floor? 
to withstand a 75 mph rear impact...holy crap, that's unheard of! all cars should be built to this standard, we'd have a lot less vehicle fatality!
what happens if the car goes through semi-flooded roads? will water seep in from the drain floor? to withstand a 75 mph rear impact...holy crap, that's unheard of! all cars should be built to this standard, we'd have a lot less vehicle fatality!
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