The first ever R1S patrol car has officially made its debut in the United States and is heading directly to Palo Alto, the home city of the sprawling Rivian facility. The electric SUV was introduced at the recent event at Rivian’s headquarters, where local Mayor Ed Lauing immediately gave the company words of praise.
This historic city in the northwest of Santa Clara County is also home to the new global Tesla engineering center, which has been operating there since 2023. However, for some reason, Elon Musk’s brand has not made it to the list of those chosen.
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Unlike the bold and refined designs that can be expected from …, the R1S remains modest. Most of its exterior is adorned with glossy black paint, while the front doors receive clean white trims. The department’s emblem looks good on the sides, adding just enough flair to remind everyone that this is a police car—not a luxury SUV for a ride.
The R1S patrol car still requires some adjustments
Currently, the R1S does not yet have the usual red-blue lights on the roof—it simply didn’t arrive in time for the event. There is also talk of installing a push bumper as well as other special cabin equipment. Rivian engineers are reportedly working closely with the city to prepare the SUV for active duty.
Palo Alto Captain James Reifschneider addressed , noting that the R1S offers significantly more cabin space than the Ford Explorer and Jeep Durango, which are currently used by the department.
During his state of the city address, Palo Alto Mayor Ed Lauing praised Rivian and its plans for the area.
Other Police EVs
Palo Alto is not the only city rushing to police patrol EV crossovers. Several agencies in California have started adding electric vehicles to their fleets, but the transition has not been without challenges.
The South Pasadena police department has already replaced its entire fleet with Tesla Model 3 and Model Y, but some departments complain about the lack of space in these two Tesla models. The Rivian R1S is much larger in size, but it is also much more expensive, starting from $75,900 in a basic configuration, to which costly modifications are added.
It’s unknown whether Palo Alto police plan to add other Rivian models to their fleet.
Image at the beginning via