BMW Imagines the Police Car of 2025

Like Mercedes, BMWBMWGermany, 1918 > present87 models
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has entered the Los Angeles Design Challenge to design a police vehicle from 2025. However, where MercedesMercedes-BenzGermany, 1924 > present197 models
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created an actual, 1:1 scale model, BMW just sketched its design. It calls the car the ePatrol, and it is meant to be a future vehicle for the California Highway Patrol.

The challenge this year was to select a region and create a police vehicle from 2025 for that region. The vehicle must meet the selected region's emissions standards and meet the needs of the police.

BMW's DesignworksUSA selected Los Angeles as its region. Setting the ePatrol in Los Angeles meant that the car had to cope with more cars, faster traffic and alternative powertrains. BMW created a vehicle with a long arc for the passenger compartment and front wheels without axles. It says that it was vaguely inspired by the looks of a police dog that combined aerodynamics and aggressiveness. 

The car can deploy drones, one that flies and two on wheels. During pursuits, the passenger can control the drones to cut through traffic faster than the car could. The drones are equipped with electromagnetic pulse weapons that could disable a car if needed. 

BMW imagines the windshield as being a large, transparent touch screen, and the interior is made from carbon fiber cloth.

“We wanted to present a visionary impulse to the theme of highway patrol. Hence our contribution to the L.A. Design Challenge is a vision concept with no links to BMW´s future design strategy. We took the liberty to think out of the box. To emphasize the conceptual approach our design is independent from BMW design elements and known visual cues but looks at new product typologies and fresh ideas on shapes”, said Laurenz Schaffer, DesignworksUSA's president.