It looks like something Robocop might drive, but the 2012 Carbon E7 is serious business: The world’s first purpose-designed police car. Or as Atlanta-based Carbon Motors describes it, a “homeland security” vehicle created for law enforcement by law enforcement.
Up front, the 2012 Carbon E7 is a combination mobile office and command center. Gauges and routine driving controls group ahead of a tilt and telescopic steering wheel; a dashtop radar-data display sits just below the driver’s forward sightline. Climate controls mount atop the center stack. Directly below is a multifunction 15-inch touch-screen that works with a compact wireless keyboard stowed in a center-console well.Besides eliminating the clumsy carry-on components found in conventional patrol cars, the E7 communications system utilizes the Onboard Rapid Command Architecture (ORCA) that links the vehicle with central dispatch, crime databases and even other police cars. The screen also displays images from the various onboard cameras, including a special back-seat “eye,” as well as maps for an included navigation system that can also track vehicles equipped with locator devices like LoJack. The screen can also be used to control lights, sirens, radios, and PA system, all of which are covered by redundant switches on the console and steering wheel. A pair of jumbo heated-and-cooled cupholders nestles between the seat cushions. A pair of gun holders lives on the divider wall between the seatbacks, along with storage for a compact computer printer. A lidded center-dashtop bin has room for pens, ticket books and such. Red interior lighting minimizes nighttime eye strain, and LED pin-spots light up paperwork without drawing possibly dangerous attention.
Front seats in the 2012 Carbon E7 look more like executive chairs. Developed by Lear Corporation, they have modest side bolsters on the cushions and upper seatbacks, but are cut away at hip level so that an officer with a beltload of gear--revolver, nightstick, handcuffs, and such--can get in and out in a hurry or be comfortable for long spells. The seats are heated and cooled, as you might imagine. Upholstery is reinforced with Kevlar to be extra hard-wearing. Because many officers are of XL stature, the divider wall is shaped to provide more seat travel for the driver, as well as extra rear kneeroom on the right
There’s none to offer here, because the 2012 Carbon E7 will be sold only to law-enforcement agencies, period. The good news for Carbon Motors is that over 1,000 departments have so far expressed interest in the vehicle, according to CEO Li, who also pegs the total U.S. police-vehicle market at a sizeable 425,000 units. The prototype is still being shown to forces around the country, following 2008’s lengthy “Justice Tour” that ended in San Diego with a display at the annual meeting of the International Associations of Chiefs of Police. Several foreign police forces have also shown interest, partly, we suspect, because diesel engines are the norm in many countries and the E7 has one.
2012 Carbon E7 Release Date: As mentioned, Carbon Motors plans to start E7 production sometime during 2012. A firm date will likely be announced by the first of that year, if not sooner.
2012 Carbon E7 First Test Drive: Carbon Motors may target a niche market, but it will likely keep the media fully informed on the E7’s progress from prototype to production, if only to build public awareness and even political support for the project. When might we get actual seat time? Hard to say, but we’re hoping for at least a brief drive by the end of 2010.
2012 Carbon E7 Prices: As things stand now, Carbon will announce E7 pricing in the fourth quarter of 2009, according to the company’s wesbite. CEO Li notes that current law-enforcement vehicles run between $30,000 and $80,000 each, depending on equipment. The average, he says, is around $55K, which leads us to think that the E7 will be close to that mark.
Not surprisingly, the 2012 Carbon E7 aims to satisfy a long list of requirements, starting with cost. According to Li, the U.S. has some 19,000 law-enforcement agencies that are not regulated by the DHS or the Department of Justice. This leaves each agency to negotiate with carmakers and/or dealers for vehicle purchases and with a multitude of suppliers for lights, radio, radar, and other police-specific equipment.The result is often a compromise vehicle costing upwards of $80,000, yet one that is little safer or more durable than the retail passenger car on which it’s based. Worse, it uses no less fuel and takes as much time and money to repair. Taxpayers, of course, foot all these bills.
Moreover, as Li notes, retiring a police car entails the added expense of removing all the “upfit” equipment and sometimes repainting the vehicle for resale, typically to taxi fleets but also to the occasional private buyer. But that kind of recycling, combined with easy availability of realistic uniforms, only makes it easier to impersonate officers, which encourages certain types of crime. And even if a law-abiding citizen buys one, a used cop car is often pretty scruffy, which undermines the “command image” that police departments strive to project for reasons of public support and cooperation.
Then there’s the practical side. Police officers can be on duty for 12 hours or more, so the car they “live” in must be not only properly equipped but comfortable. It should also help protect officers should they come in harm’s way, as well as in accidents. Speed and top-flight handling are taken for granted, but Carbon thinks police cars should also be easier on fuel and lower on emissions than comparable civilian models.
Reference Source:
consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/2012-carbon-e7.htm
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