The Tesla Model S cars “entered service on 26 April this year,” Vic Reuter, a police spokesman, told Delano on 23 July. “They are used by the traffic police, mainly for motorway patrols.”

So far, battery recharging has not presented a problem. Laurent Lentz, deputy commander of Luxembourg’s highway police, was quoted by the Reuters news agency on 20 July as saying: “Our patrols are 200 kilometers per outing. We can easily see that the battery life as it is does not pose any problems.”

The Teslas were purchased as part of a scheme to eventually move 10% of the state’s motor vehicle fleet to electric cars. The pair of police cars were originally meant to start patrolling on a test basis last autumn. That was delayed due to safety tests to certify their new flashing emergency lights.

Earlier this year, Étienne Schneider, the deputy prime minister (LSAP), reported that each vehicle cost €121,440 to purchase and kit out.

Asked if the police force would buy more Teslas, Reuter, the spokesman, stated on Monday: “The two vehicles are operated in the framework of a pilot project…. The evaluation will be concluded in about two years.”