High-tech for Law Enforcement (CP 2/2009)

The next generation US police car, the Carbon E7, is a sophisticated special vehicle for which a wealth of new technology – including coatings technology – was developed.

Strong character: The E7’s performance and dynamic potential is already reflected in its styling. (Picture: Carbon Motors)

Watch out criminals! With the Carbon E7 police car, you are up against a new type of law enforcement vehicle! The car that will be produced by Carbon Motors Corporation is fast and ultra-modern, even futuristic. Some say that it looks like the high-tech prop, K.I.T.T., from the action series “Knight Rider,” the Bat Mobile, or something even James Bond would fancy. And yet it’s very real. While other occupational groups such as fire departments, ambulance services and post offices have long driven in purpose-built vehicles, thus far law enforcement officers in the U.S. have used modified everyday retail passenger cars for going out on patrol and pursuing criminals.

The E7 is designed to provide officers with a vehicle that satisfies the most stringent requirements of law enforcement. “The E7 is a vehicle that is specially tailored to the needs of law enforcement.

It is also better equipped and will reduce the overall lifetime costs compared to the retrofitted police cars used today,” says Alan J. Bratt, Executive Vice President and Chief Production Officer at Carbon Motors.

Carbon Motors has developed the E7 over the past several years. The first concept demonstration vehicle (CDV) was built in 2008. In recent months, Carbon Motors has taken the CDV on its nationwide “Pure Justice Tour” to over 25 cities across the country.

“Officers were truly impressed by the vehicle in every respect,” says Bratt. In fact, the Pure Justice Tour made a week-long stop at the North American headquarters of BASF Coatings in Southfield, Michigan, where it was enthusiastically received by BASF staff and a number of members of local police and sheriff departments.

E7 launch: highly promising

Carbon Motors plans to produce the first E7s during calendar year 2012, and reports that the output of the first year of production is almost sold out. This could, in part, be attributed to the fact that Carbon Motors included ideas and suggestions of more than 3,000 active police officers from all 50 US states in the development of the E7.

That is why the police car is equipped with a rear compartment camera, sensors for detecting nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, as well as a specially shaped climate control seat, which enables an officer to sit comfortably even while wearing a duty belt, gun holster and body armor.

The 300 hp clean diesel engine accelerates the vehicle to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.5 seconds; the top speed is governed to 250 km/h (155 mph).

Equipment features also include an infrared night vision camera, an automatic license plate recognition system and bullet resistant panels around the front compartment to protect officers if they come under live fire.

Brilliant: The BASF designers Holly Steward (l.) and Sandra Mathia developed the color palette for the E7.		Precise: Soliant processes BASF Coatings material into coated special films – allowing Carbon Motors to produce the E7 without a paint shop. (Picture: Soliant)

The coating: BASF

BASF Coatings developed for the E7 a UV-curable coating which is characterized by extreme durability, high scratch resistance and an outstanding appearance. At the BASF site in Southfield, Michigan, color designers Holly Steward and Sandra Mathia developed the color palette for the CDV.

For the traditional “Black & White” exterior paint scheme, they chose a black standard paint. It complements the newly developed “White Firemist” tricoat used on the doors and roof. The designers picked coordinating shades of titanium for the wheels and grille that emphasize the durable, no-nonsense persona of the vehicle.

Specially tailored: The E7 is better equipped and more cost effective than the police cars used today. (Picture: Carbon Motors)

“Our vision was to produce a police car in a way that was both affordable and environmentally friendly,” emphasizes Bratt, “BASF Coatings makes an important contribution in helping us to achieve our ambitious goals.”

To this end, BASF works closely with Soliant, based in Lancaster, South Carolina, the world’s leading producer of special films that are used in the automotive, marine, and construction industries as well as the signage industry. BASF Coatings supplies Soliant with paints for the E7.

Soliant then processes these materials into a film that is applied to individual sections of the vehicle. This means that Carbon Motors can produce the E7 without a paint shop in the assembly plant, and save hundreds of millions of dollars in capital costs. Furthermore, using special films is environmentally friendly since emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are substantially lower than in other coating processes.

“Only teamwork and close cooperation were able to help us pull off this tremendous challenge,” says Paul Lamberty, Market and Business Development Manager for BASF Coatings.

“We are in regular contact with both Soliant and Carbon Motors.” John Cupstid, Sales Director at Soliant, goes on to add: “We have been working with BASF for a long time. Our successful partnership was the decisive reason for Carbon Motors hiring us to produce the film coatings.”

State-of-the-art: Suggestions from more than 3,000 active police officers were taken into account when developing the E7. (Picture Carbon Motors)

The E7 is getting a lot of recognition in the U.S. as law enforcement personnel, the industry and the media anxiously await its first year of production. Stay tuned to Coatings Partner for more information on this exciting and one-of-a-kind law enforcement vehicle.

(Picture: Carbon Motors)

www.carbonmotors.com
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