Ten years later, police still can't electrocute your car

"DCCARGEEK" (dccargeek) 11/17/2013 at 21:13 • Filed to: None

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Last week I came across your run-of-the-mill American police chase story that involved a police officer throwing tire spikes to immobilize a vehicle and that vehicle careening into other vehicles.

When I hear stories like this I'm always reminded of the scene above.

Brian O'Conner's car is stopped dead when Agent Markham fires what appears to be an an electrically-charged industrial version of The Claw, a deviceused to secure these squeaky aliens.

This movie is over 10 years old and yet here we are still throwing what amounts to a strip of nails into the road to stop cars. Curious if the lack of vehicle stun guns is a monetary problem or an engineering problem.

The little research I did took me over to a survivalist forum where the conversation quickly eroded into whether or not you could create a Faraday cage large enough for a vehicle to survive the charge from our sun exploding. Frankly if the sun explodes I doubt I'll need my car.

Do you think police officers should develop and field automotive tasers? I'll bet we'd get great dash cams, "Don't tase my M3, bro!"

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > DCCARGEEK 11/17/2013 at 21:21

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I thought it was an R34 GT-St converted to look like a GT-R?

SpeedSix > DCCARGEEK 11/17/2013 at 21:25

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I don't know about electrocution, but there's the remote-activated SQUID , which is supposed to grab at a vehicles undercarriage and pull it to a stop.

DCCARGEEK > Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura 11/17/2013 at 21:25

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I'll leave it at 'car' for now :)

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > DCCARGEEK 11/17/2013 at 21:26

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Oh, looks like he actually owns that GT-R. My mistake.

DCCARGEEK > SpeedSix 11/17/2013 at 21:27

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The "Whhhhhaaaa-HoooooooH" makes me think that these guys might be related to the DIY muffler shop silencer mechanics under investigation by the Navy.

It seems like an interesting idea, but still requires you to be in front of the vehicle as opposed to fire at it from behind.

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > DCCARGEEK 11/17/2013 at 21:30

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Hey, we both goofed. :P

SpeedSix > DCCARGEEK 11/17/2013 at 21:35

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Well, you're not exactly firing at the vehicle as much as activating the remote-controlled trap to grab the vehicle's undercarriage.

DCCARGEEK > Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura 11/17/2013 at 21:35

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It's all good! It's Sunday night. No one is here, they're all watching the Walking Dead.

deekster_caddy > DCCARGEEK 11/17/2013 at 21:38

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I'm not sure how much of this is just hollywood vs reality. They do have GPS bullets though!

DCCARGEEK > SpeedSix 11/17/2013 at 21:47

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No I understand that, but it requires a secondary vehicle to 'cut off' the approaching vehicle as opposed as the original chase vehicle disabling the car from the first drive off.

DCCARGEEK > deekster_caddy 11/17/2013 at 21:47

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That's what I'm thinking - Hollywood. Not sure how much of a charge you would need to fry the vehicle electronics.

Krieger (@FSKrieger22) > DCCARGEEK 11/17/2013 at 21:58

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Tasers? I'd be more partial to this...

DCCARGEEK > Krieger (@FSKrieger22) 11/17/2013 at 22:07

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Yeaaaaaah, the directed energy needed for a controlled EMP strong enough to knock out a ECM/PCM...not going to happen without some form of large chemical power source.

Skif6996 > DCCARGEEK 11/17/2013 at 22:09

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I think that would probably involve huge liability issues. What if they hit a different vehicle or the perp was electrocuted? More trouble than it's worth I think.

tromoly > DCCARGEEK 11/17/2013 at 22:36

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I got it, can could use a pinch.

aquila121 > Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura 11/17/2013 at 23:08

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When Sport Compact Car ran a story on how the movie cars performed on the dyno and at the skidpad/drag strip, they said in the article that they were GT-Rs with the AWD and four-wheel steering disabled (RWD so they could get the desired sliding shots easily). I remember this fact vividly, because I thought to myself, Why would you intentionally make those cars slower?! Also, it was the first issue of SCC that I ever purchased—and immediately after, my ricer phase was over.

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > aquila121 11/18/2013 at 00:14

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It's a similar ideology with the late-model Subarus - such as the XT/SVX coupe. Should for some reason the rear diff is on its last legs (and this is for models with the 4EAT transmission at the time, mind you), pop the hood open and insert a fuse. Bam, FWD.

DCCARGEEK > Skif6996 11/18/2013 at 02:54

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By that argument bullets would be the better alternative?

Skif6996 > DCCARGEEK 11/18/2013 at 07:00

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No. That's why cops very rarely shoot at cars during car chases. That mostly only happens in movies.

DCCARGEEK > Skif6996 11/18/2013 at 08:07

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There's been a few high profile cases recently involving officers shooting at cars, especially when the LEO is out of his or her car, and the bad guy/gal makes a move that could endanger them.

Stopping a car before it has a chance to turn into a chase has benefits.

What if they, police unit, could based on your tag and VIN, call in your information and your car would be put into limp mode.

Skif6996 > DCCARGEEK 11/18/2013 at 18:34

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OnStar already does that, actually. It works very well. That is far from shooting a giant electrical spear at a car though.

DCCARGEEK > Skif6996 11/18/2013 at 19:05

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True, but one is more fun than the other

Tom McParland > DCCARGEEK 11/18/2013 at 19:48

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Given that spike strips and PIT maneuvers impose both a risk to the police, the perpetrator, and the public at large, (This is a calculated risk and most LE takes it seriously and act accordingly) it a auto-taser could be made to disable a car and slow it safely then sure it could be beneficial. The only downside with modern cars adapting hydro-electric steering and brake-by-wire systems would these be also incapacitated with the use of an auto-taser? You certainly don't want a dangerous vehicle slowing down with no working brakes or steering.

Skif6996 > DCCARGEEK 11/18/2013 at 22:35

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I dont know. The look on someones face as the Escalade they're running in shuts down and locks them in the car... it has to be priceless.