Started by former Police Officers and their financial backers, Carbon Motors set out to build the very first purpose built police car but met a sad end due to heavy lobbying against their product.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overview: Carbon Motors was founded by a Former Police Officer and a Former Executive of the Ford Motor Company. The Company aimed to produce purpose built police cars only available to police departments and the Government. The car was a result of surveys done which recorded what features police officers would like to see in future vehicles that would make their jobs easier. Officers spend a great deal of time in their "office on wheels" and Carbon Motors sought to improve police vehicle design.

 

 

 

The E7 was built with a long list of features that police officers claimed would make their job much easier. One of the biggest was the suicide rear opening doors. Officers claim it can be difficult to put unruly suspects into the rear of a vehicle with conventional doors because it obstructs the officers while trying to put a seat belt onto the suspect. The E7 had a rear seat with moldings for the arms of handcuffed individuals to make this easier. The rear was also made of entirely plastic materials to make cleaning the vehicle easier. The floor had a drain plug which meant that officers would be able to wash the back of the vehicle of bodily fluids often left behind by detained individuals such as vomit and urine.
Up front the E7 hosted much larger front seats than any other police car. one of the main complaints Officers had about traditional patrol cars is that the seats were never designed to complement them when they were wearing a patrol belt. Officers patrol belts are full of tools they need for their job and must be worn the entire duration of their shift. The E7 had larger front seats to solve this problem.

 

 

 

Police Officers are taught in the police academy that in the event of a shootout, the front doors of the patrol car should be used as a shield from oncoming fire. The E7 used this innovative training technique and made it even safer by placing thick sheets of armor inside the front doors giving officers more confidence in high risk situations. Among other features the E7 featured Red White and Blue LED lighting all around the vehicle to make it brighter when making traffic stops and arriving on scene. One of the most common causes of officer death is being struck while at the road side. Every corner of the E7 was covered in LED lighting to make the vehicle more conspicuous. There was however no Roof Mounted Light Bar. Carbon Motors Integrated the roof lighting inside of the roof instead claiming roof mounted light bars reduced drag and required holes to be drilled into the roof. Spot Lamps were mounted into the rear of the side view mirrors and the front mounted push bar often used for the PIT maneuver were also integrated into the body. The car was also equipped with sensors which could detect the presence of dangerous materials such as WMD's and infrared cameras in case of chemical attacks. The interior of the car could be air tight and sealed. The E7 was marketed as a vehicle for both police work and homeland security.

 

 

 

Because Police Cars are normal cars equipped for police duty they are retrofitted with often very bulky control panels and boxes which activate sirens, lights and the police laptop computer. The E7 eliminated this by integrating all of these into a touchscreen dashboard computer and console mounted controls. Under the hood the E7 used a BMW 6 Cylinder Diesel Engine capable of delivering similar performance to other police cars but having the added benefit of being eco friendly and lasting a lot longer.

 

The E7 received several orders from many police departments but none were ever filled due to the end of the project.

 

Carbon Motors requested several loans from the Federal Government nearly all of them were denied due to "financial instability of the company". Carbon Motors and the E7 were always fighting an uphill battle and eventually lost.

 

Police cars require many parts from several different manufacturers and all of them would have lost business if the E7 had become a reality.

 

Federal Signal and Whelen which both manufacture emergency vehicle lighting and sirens protested the E7 as the vehicle would have a strong negative impact on the industry if the E7 came to fruition.

 

Ford, Dodge and Chevrolet all of which jointly share the market for police vehicles also protested as a purpose built police car would destroy all competition in this sector. All of these companies lobbied to destroy the E7 and won.

 

Carbon Motors was eventually forced to admit defeat and closed its doors before completing any orders.