Carbon Motors E7: NYPD Cool

Sitting in the Carbon Motors E7, you realize it's the product of police officers dreaming up the ideal vehicle for law enforcement. This dream's coming to a radar trap near you in 2012.

Built on a purpose-built chassis and using a 300 HP, 420 Lb-Ft of torque forced-induction diesel, the 4,000 Lb E7 will run 0-60 in 6.5 seconds, top out at 155 MPH and return 28-30 MPG in normal use. More importantly, it's designed to a 250,000-mile durability spec. Faster, more economical and longer lasting than current cop cars, but it's what inside that really counts; the E7 has been designed around the police officers specific needs.

Current cruisers, modified versions of civilian cars, are far from ideal for police use. The necessary additions — radios, computers, donut holders — often get added with little to no thought or testing to how they'll perform in a crash, often becoming lethal projectiles in an impact. Seats aren't built for 8-hour-long shift, controls aren't created with control in mind, communications and computer equipment gets spec'd for cost, not capability.

The E7 integrates all its features neatly into a cohesive package. Check out the faired-in lights all over the bodywork — better for aerodynamics. The seats are made to support large and in-charge cops and accommodate utility belts full of cuffs, batons and handguns. Heated and cooled cup holders complement the A/C fans incorporated in the headrests for year-round comfort. All computing and communications take place through the huge dash-mounted touch screen while gadgets like radar speed detectors, 360° surveillance cams and automatic license plate recognition cameras abound. It even has biohazard and weapons of mass destruction detectors integrated in neat trunk-mounted NACA ducts.

There are over 425,000 law enforcement vehicles in service in the U.S. Carbon Motors hopes to take that market by storm, offering a vehicle that easily exceeds current vehicles' fuel economy, utility and safety - over 50% of officer injuries take place in their vehicles. Carbon Motors hopes to bring the E7 in around the same price as a fully equipped version of current cruisers. Judging by the reaction local cops had when they saw the E7 yesterday, there's going to be a lot of eager customers.

While we may have gotten an exclusive "Big Apple" first-hand look yesterday evening, you can see it for yourself today from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM in Times Square near the NASDAQ market site where the folks from Carbon Motors will ring the opening bell.

Send an email to Wes Siler, the author of this post, at wes@jalopnik.com.