Photo of BMW i3 hatchbacks courtesy of City of Los Angeles

Photo of BMW i3 hatchbacks courtesy of City of Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) made waves in 2016 when it decided to lease 100 battery-electric BMW i3 hatchbacks. But according to a local news report, those vehicles have been barely used since they were deployed.

Mileage logs obtained by CBS Los Angeles show that, between the project’s start in April 2016 and August 2017, many of the vehicles were only driven a couple thousand miles, and some had less than 1,000 miles logged. One vehicle has been listed as “in for service” since May 2016, with 400 miles logged.

CBS reporters also found several incidents of possible misuse. The news station caught several employees on camera driving the i3s for personal use, including picking up lunch and driving to a nail salon outside of city limits.

When reached for comment, an LAPD representative said the agency had no statement at this time.

The LAPD chose the BMWs after the agency spent almost a year testing the i3 as well as the Tesla Model S. When the vehicles were first purchased, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck noted that the i3s would only be used for non-emergency purposes.

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