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Mark Hinchliffe·
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··2 Comments·1 min read

Quietest police pursuit in history

zero tesla quietest police pursuit

A San Francisco police officer riding an electric Zero Motorcycle recently pulled over a driver in an electric Tesla Model 3 in what must have been the quietest police pursuit of all time.

Zero posted an image of the historic moment on their Facebook page, but it may not be the last time this happens.

Police departments in Europe, the United States, Hong Kong and Canada are now using electric motorcycles and scooters from BMW, Zero Motorcycles and other companies.

The Californian-based Zero has developed a DS Police motorcycle specifically for police and security agencies.

Fresno State University Police on Zero Motorcycles pursuit
Fresno State University Police on Zero Motorcycles

They claim it is specifically useful to police because of its reliability, low maintenance, battery range and capacity, manoeuvrability, light weight chassis, economic feasibility and low environmental impact.

Zero Motorcycles global sales Vice President John Lloyd says they designed and engineered the police line-up “based on feedback directly from patrol officers regarding their needs and responsibilities”.

Stealth pursuit

But the biggest advantage for the cops is the quiet running of an electric vehicle that allows police to sneak up on criminals!

Some police departments have also found they can use them inside large shopping malls because there are no emissions.

So if they get into a Blues Brothers-style chase through a mall, bike cops can follow the criminals.

See also

Zero in Australia

But don’t expect to be pulled up by a silent cop in Australia any time soon.

Australian police evaluated the DS Police motorcycle, but then Zero pulled the plug on our market in 2017 citing unfavourable exchange rates and taxes.

Zero DS electric motorcycle pursuit
Zero DS electric police motorcycle

Zero DS Police Motorcycle come with pursuit emergency lighting and sirens, safety components and specially designed luggage compartments to carry gear, patrol items and emergency medical equipment.

The civilian model DS can be fitted with some of the police accessories, such as Givi top box, panniers and screen. Other accessories include heated seat and grips and a power socket, although all those limit the range of the bike.

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Mark Hinchliffe
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2 Comments

  1. If Australian governments were a bit more forward thinking, instead of continuing to be totally retarded when it comes to future energy sources, they would provide tax incentives like other states and countries so that we could have these back here. So far the Zero seems to be the pick of electric bikes. My place has been totally sun-powered (off-grid) since we bought it thirteen years ago, so it truly would be zero running emissions. They just need to be a bit more gravel road-friendly and, with a slightly longer range, would be ideal. The Australian designed and owned Fonzarelli scooters look the goods, but the wheels are too small for pot-holed gravel roads and the range far too short at present for those of us who don’t live in a town or city . As for the H-D electric bike, I think the executives are seriously deluded if they think even the most rusted on H-D fanboys are going to pay that much for such a limited bike.

  2. Why tax incentives? What is wrong with the free market? Your home perhaps has zero emissions.. but the emissions have already happened in the manufacture of your plates and batteries. If you consider the mining and processing of the minerals to make the plates and batteries, the aluminium especially for the frames… a bucket load of emissions have already been released.

    (I photographed Ziggy Switzkowski once and he told me aluminium is “congealed electricity”)

    I have plates too.. but the reality is that the energy used to make the system will always be much higher than what the system can make/store/give back in its lifetime.

    Sadly hydro carbons are the most energy dense thing we have after plutonium. (And we don’t need that!)

    As for electric bikes…. not for me in a big country like this. 500K on a GSA and refuel in 5 mins and keep going.

    Or carry a Rotopak with an extra 5 litres on the back… imagine carrying a spare battery on the back 🙂

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