• Accident: Die the driver of a Tesla Model 3 in 'autopilot' mode

We already have trouble with an electric car again. And, of course, the protagonist is a Tesla , although the truth is that Elon Musk's company is more than accustomed to being permanently in the spotlight . For something, it has turned the powerful automobile industry with its 100% electric cars' made in 'Silicon Valley' upside down.

The last 'episode' is related to a Tesla Model S of the Fremont Police Department in California, precisely where the main Tesla factory is located. The 'electric' patrol had to abandon a chase because it was about to run out of battery. And, of course, the news has spread like wildfire in the United States and has been viralized all over the world, to the point that the Police Department itself has had to step up to explain what really happened.

The 'incident' occurred on Friday, September 22 , when a police 'electric' patrol was involved in a chase shortly before midnight. Local media say that, after several minutes of persecution, the officer who was driving the Tesla Model S reported by radio that he had to leave the device because he only had six miles of autonomy. " I only have six miles of battery left in the Tesla, I can lose it at any time . If someone is available you can maneuver to get behind the suspect," said the officer through his radio, which at the time was leading the persecution.

Finally and, due to various circumstances, the suspect managed to escape and is still in search and capture for a crime committed in the city of Santa Clara, which adds an extra 'morbid' to the news, even if it is not the first time a suspect manages to get rid of the agents and get out of a police chase in the streets of any city in the world.

Before the stir generated by the news, the Fremont Police Department, through its Twitter account, offered more details of what happened to clarify the incident. According to the statement released on Friday, the incident that occurred with the Tesla Model S "is no different from the cases in which a patrol car runs out of fuel (or even dry)" , although the Department itself acknowledged that it was a "situation shameful . "

The statement clarified that the chase began " nine hours after the officer's turn , at 11:05 p.m.", "lasted a total of eight minutes," "spanned approximately 10 miles and sometimes exceeded 110 mph (177 km / h) ". With all this, the statement continues, " just before the persecution ended at 23:13 hours , the officer leading the Tesla responsibly notified his coverage units that he would have to withdraw from the persecution because his battery was running out. "

According to the Fremont Police Department, it was a mere coincidence that the suspect managed to corner the officers at that time. "Just after passing the Montague Expressway exit, the suspect drove down the left shoulder of the road to overtake a vehicle. At that time, the Fremont police sergeant who oversaw the operation gave orders to end the persecution to not to endanger the rest of the drivers and road users. The three units deactivated their emergency equipment and returned to normal driving conditions, "the statement said.

To explain why the electric patrol was on duty with such limited autonomy, the Department said the Model S battery was only 50% of its total charge when the officer began his shift nine hours earlier, although he added that it is not It is mandatory to start the shift with the battery fully charged.

"The autonomy of a fully charged battery ranges between 220 and 240 miles (354 and 386 km) and during an 11-hour patrol shift Fremont officers drive approximately 70-90 miles, so they usually return at the end of each shift with 40-60%, if not more, of the battery charge, although it is not mandatory, we recommend that officers begin their shift with at least half a gas tank or, in this case, a battery charge of 50 % Although the vehicle is usually recharged between shifts, on Friday the vehicle had just been returned from our vehicle depot, "the statement said.

The statement also clarifies that the Tesla Model S joined the Department in March as a "fully equipped" patrol car and that "the results of the first six months have been excellent . " Proof of this is that the department is about to expand the program. "So far, the vehicle is working extremely well and has exceeded our expectations . We are already in advanced negotiations on the test of a second vehicle, probably an SUV model (the Tesla Model X ), and we hope to offer our first results soon."

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