- As the world transitions to electric vehicles, emergency services such as the police are also beginning to make the switch, helping them to fight not only crime but pollution too.
- With police forces requiring particular levels of uptime and performance, the specific models chosen by forces are crucial.
- Here are some examples of police forces that are going heavy on electrification, along with the benefits of EVs within a police fleet.
Why are electric police cars better than their ICE counterparts?
There are several key factors that already make fully-electric police cars stand out as better options compared to their ICE predecessors, with the high performance of many EVs being the most obvious. Range anxiety may have been a barrier to electrification within police forces in the past, but with many EVs now capable of travelling over 400 miles on a charge, and public charging infrastructure continuing to grow, that concern is becoming less and less apparent. And, with many countries bringing in ZEV mandates, it only makes sense for the police to lead by example.
United Kingdom
Various UK police forces are either trialling or adopting fully-electric police vehicles, used in both neighbourhood policing and roads policing applications. According to a recent report from GRIDSERVE, Gloucestershire Police are a frontrunner within the country, with 25% of its fleet already being fully-electric. The capital’s Metropolitan Police also operates a significant BEV fleet.
New Zealand
New Zealand police is already operating a fleet of Hyundai Kona Electrics and IONIQ 5s in ‘non-operational’ form, but recently trialled the addition of the all-electric BMW i4 to its operational fleet, with drivers commending the i4’s ‘better than expected’ range, along with its driving performance.
United Arab Emirates
The UAE’s Dubai police already operates a seriously diverse fleet of police vehicles, so it’s no surprise to also see EVs being added to the mix. It added its first electric police car to the fleet, the Hongqi E-HS9, back in 2022. It also placed a significant order for 100 Audi RS E-Tron GTs. Most recently, it added Geely’s Zeekr 001 as another addition to the fleet.
United States
While many U.S. police departments have already begun the process of electrification, California’s South Pasadena Police Department stands out as a leader within the nation. Last year, it became the first police force within the U.S. to fully convert to an electric police car fleet, with an order of 10 Tesla Model 3s and 10 Tesla Model Ys – replacing all previous ICE-powered vehicles in its fleet.
