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I don't really care much about them but one time I read something about police cars and how some of them have really big alternators for their electrical load and how they have things on them to make them spin a lot faster then the engine so at idle they can produce more current then an average car can by a whole lot and then much more when the engine is running at a higher RPM like driving. Also I read how because of the fact that the alternator has the thing on it to speed it up that it has to have a special thing so that when the engine is shut off that the alternator becomes disconnected from the engine so that it can spin down and not just stop instantly when the engine stops because that would be hard on it because it has the thing on it to make it spin so fast and it would wear it out real quick to be spinning super fast and then instantly come to a dead halt. Also I read about how they will often have a secondary battery like a deep cycle battery for their big electrical requirements so that it won't interfere with the main battery for starting the engine. I guess so that if the alternator isn't makeing enough current at an idle for a huge load then it won't kill the main battery or if they had something running for too long when the engine was off then they could still start the car. Though it's not good to run lead batteries completly dead because it damages them so they want to avoid that. Anyway I thought hat was interesting. Sorry if this was kind of long.
Many of the things you found out about the electrical systems in police cars is correct.
I owna 9C1 Chevrolet Caprice police car I bought at a state auction for next to nothing. The car is basically a Corvette chassis with a 4 door sedan body! The car has extremely tight handling, and a 280 HP LT1 engine that makes it particularly fast and fun to drive. The interior is pretty interesting. The front seats are really comfy bucket seats covered in cloth, and the floor is carpeted. The back seat however is plain vinyl, and there's no carpeting back there. When I bought the car, there was a divider between the front an back seat to keep criminals from distracting or imparing the driver. When I bought the car, all the radios were taken out, but the wiring for them was still there. Since I'm a HAM radio operator, it makes for a nice platform for my shortwave radio gear.
Even above and beyond what a typical Corvett has though is the electrical system like you stated. The 9C1 has a 200 ampere alternator. Most cars have a 100 ampere alternator at best. There is a button on the dashboard labeled "fast idle". When a police officer is sitting at an accident scene or something and he needs the emergency lights to stay on. He can press this button which revs up the motor a little to maintain power output from the alternator. It also aids in cooling too. The 9C1 police car has a radiator twice as large as a typical Chevy Impala. This particular car has two batteries that are connected in parallel and serve all the power needs. many ambulances though are connected up like you mentioned, with a "house" battery for running all the medical equipment and such, and another to run just the engine. Also, unlike a Corvette, police cars actually ride a little bit higher off the road than a typical high-performance civillian car. This is so if the vehicle hits bumps at high speeds, it won't bottom out and scrape. Police cars are specially designed to hit curbstones at high speeds without damage while chasing criminals. Because this car is like most cars these days has plastic bumpers that aren't really bumpers, this car has a metal pipe going across the front bumper and grill area so that if the police car pushes or bumps another vehicle, it's bumper & grill won't be damaged.
Many police cars don't make it into the hands of individuals, but get retire to the life of being taxicabs. Around here though, the taxi business is a little light, so finding a used police car isn't too terribly hard
Living with a police car is fun, but it does have it's drawbacks. Many people slow down when you approach them on the highway thinking you are going to bust them or something. The car is also a bit thirsty for fuel, and only gets about 16 mpg around town, and 20 on the highway. Buying replacement parts can sometimes be a bit annoying because everything is larger and more beefier than the typical civillian Impala or caprice. Many parts don't fit and aren't stocked by auto parts shops, meaning they need to be special ordered when something breaks. Still, I enjoy driving this car, it's been a blast!
10 Feb 2007, 9:53 am
