Could Police Cars Be A Rivian Market?

[gto65conv]

Many of the small towns in our area are applying for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program. In our town the police department plans on purchasing 2 Teslas and 1 Ford Lightning and will be reimbursed by the grant for all 3 vehicles 100%. I exchanged some emails with the Chief of Police who said he loves the Rivian but can't fit 3 Rivians in the $170K budget.

Recent news articles indicate roughly 6 towns in our area applying for the grant planning on using EV's for their department fleet. Some quick math...18 EV's per county x 92 counties in Indiana=1656 EV's to be "purchased" as police vehicles in one state alone.

If Rivian would consider taking a look at this market they would need to cheapen up the interior. No need to let the drunks ruin the Vegan Leather in the back seat. Seems like a little engineering aimed at utility on the interior might drop the price enough to get noticed in the police market.

If Rivian is looking for volume this is an open window. The one big difference in selling to individuals who are spending their own money, and selling to the government who is spending "other peoples' money" is the ease at which they let go of the dollars. Not to mention the grant makes it zero cost for the local entity so they are itching to pull the trigger.

Another point is how much better a Rivian is for this purpose than a Tesla or a Lightning A Tesla cop car seems so European, like an Opel with lights on the top. A Rivian with a police packkage would look macho and be able to back it up on the road or off. I don't follow Ford much but the headlines leave one to wonder whether Ford is sticking with the Lightning or putting it on the shelf.

Finally, if Rivian needs more market share what better way then to become the LTD of the future?

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[kurtlikevonnegut]

Rivian actually patented a special seat design for first responders and police a while back. I think the issue with the R1 is that it's just too expensive although an R1S would be a massive upgrade from the Yukons and Explorers most departments use, especially for pursuits.

I do wonder if we will see variants of the EDV designed for ambulance or police transport uses.

 

[Cycliste]

If I am arrested, I definitely want to be transported to jail in a Rivian.

 

[ads75]

Might be possible in areas with a local service center. Rivian would probably need to speed up service times, or at least put first responder vehicles at the head of the line.

But I've seen plenty of police vehicles with dents/scratches/body damage, especially in cities, can't imagine Rivian would be to popular in public use once the repair bills for dents/scrapes/body damage come in.

 

[gto65conv]

You are right, repair times and costs would be a hurdle for the active pursuit type of departments. Rivian would have to make a commitment to the police concept if it were to succeed. As many R1's that we see totaled here on the forum Rivian will have to make progress in the repair arena over the next few years or insuring a Rivian will be more prohibitive than the original investment.

 

[TollKeeper]

I am all for smaller, local Police going with an EV style of PD Car... However, I could not recommend Rivian, or even Tesla. If anyone got a EV contract, it would be Ford, and they would add it as a addendum to their current contract for Police vehicles... Which Ford is about to lose because the Expedition EcoBoost is a box of Hot Garbage. The engines are just not good for the work PD's do. Turbo vehicles dont do well with long idle times. And you can no longer get a V8.

The reason I cant recommend Rivian, or really even Tesla... Dealer support. My local PD's use the dealer for everything. From oil changes, to body work. Tesla's body shop in Denver is backlogged for months. The single Rivian authorized body shop is 4+ months out on their backlog.

Charging really isnt an issue, as the department could install a DCFC, and the cars could easily rotate shift to shift with no issues.

Most departments in my area run inbetween 150-300 miles per shift. So a dual motor performance with a Max pack would work.

The day to day work for Tesla/Rivian works.. As long as no issues come up.

Otherwise, its Ford Lightning..

I just dont see them getting away from the Chevy Tahoe/Ford F150 anytime in the near future in my area. Dealer support, is directly nearby. All body shops work on them.

For now, in my area, they are likely going to go with the status quo.

 

[Tim-in-CA]

Due to limited top speed, unfortunately they will be out-run during high speed police chases that seem to happen in So Cal weekly.

 

[HaveBlue]

Rivian actually patented a special seat design for first responders and police a while back. I think the issue with the R1 is that it's just too expensive although an R1S would be a massive upgrade from the Yukons and Explorers most departments use, especially for pursuits.

I do wonder if we will see variants of the EDV designed for ambulance or police transport uses.

Not really good for Pursuit. The Rivian is about the slowest car on the road at 112mph. A Prius about all it would be able to keep up with. A Model 3 can go as fast as 150mph same as the Explorer FPIU.

 

[BigSkies]

I think it’s a good potential market, but Rivian needs to have options at a lower price point. Maybe this can happen post-peregrine, but Rivian has been rightly coy about the real world impacts of this.

I think the R1S could be a great fit for federal law enforcement (FBI, DEA, Secret Service, etc), but Rivian would have to get on the GSA schedules and really up their servicing game. I would have said the time isn’t right for this is you asked me a month ago. Maybe it is time for it given the demand situation.

 

[kurtlikevonnegut]

Not really good for Pursuit. The Rivian is about the slowest car on the road at 112mph. A Prius about all it would be able to keep up with. A Model 3 can go as fast as 150mph same as the Explorer FPIU.

Don't you think Rivian would unlock higher speeds for police interceptors the same way Ford and GM do? It's well documented that the R1T could do 130+ in preproduction.

 

[Killer95Stang]

At least for a larger department. That is a big no... and I love the R1T. I may or may not work for a larger department that has over 25 vehicle service garages and it's own body shops. The R1 is just too delicate for the neanderthals that drive PD cruisers all day (i'll include myself in this one). Our service departments do not have the training, nor the proper equipment to handle the issues that would come up daily on something this advanced. Think of PD garages being about 10 years behind, when it comes to training and technology. So that means that most of the cars would have to be serviced or repaired by Rivian, which can't handle the volume as it stands. I think the only ones that could pull it off right now is Ford, since their F150's are the closest to an ICE vehicle that is already on the market.

That's only if everything goes right!!! Now add in a couple riots with burning cruisers, natural disasters and vandalism that happens on a daily basis. Also, our dept already pioneered the deployment of the largest fleet of EV's in America. That program is a complete joke that smells of corruption and kickbacks.

 

[Upland]

The next town over (Norwood, MA) has a Mustang Mach E as a police car. It used by a school resource officer, so no chasing speeders. Not sure they will spring for a Rivian, but I can see the Mach E replacing some police vehicles.

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