Cops struggling to catch criminals... because their electric police cars keep running out of power!
ELECTRIC police cars are struggling to respond to crime because the batteries keep going flat, a police and crime commissioner has said.
Gloucestershire Constabulary has the second largest fleet of EV cars among British forces, making up 21 per cent of its 435 vehicles.
But officers in the rural county have experienced issues finding charging facilities and the cars have often ‘ run out of puff,’ Chris Nelson admitted.
The commissioner told a police and crime panel that he was concerned about the operational impact the vehicles were having on the force.
‘The design options available for electric vehicles for operational uses are not perhaps as advanced as I would like them to be,’ he added.
He acknowledged that all police forces should move toward using electric vehicles, but said he was ‘cautious about going any further down that road at this stage’.
Mr Nelson, a retired Royal Artillery colonel and former borough councillor who was elected last year, said: ‘If an officer is out in a rural area on a road traffic accident and his lights are one, his radio is on, his heater is on, I wouldn’t want him to run out of power for all of those different facilities, simply because he or she is in an electric car.
‘I’ve heard lots of problems with officers driving around in electric vehicles having problems trying to find recharging facilities. Running out of puff and then having to get another vehicle. So, although the world is going down that road – and I fully understand and support climate controls and green areas – it’s definitely an important thing but my first priority is to fight crime. And therefore, I have to take the operational effect into account.’
According to the magazine EV Powered, Gloucestershire has spent £1.9million on 89 electric vehicles, while Scotland Yard, Britain’s largest force, spent £958,000 on its fleet of 135.
The force had previously said it hoped to increase its fleet of electric vehicles, which cost upwards of £33,000 each, to 40 per cent by 2024.
A spokesman said its Nissan Leaf hatchbacks and Nissan eNV-200 vans were not used to respond to emergencies but for general enquiries instead.
‘We have 93 charging points at various police buildings around the county. Vehicles have an average available range of 130160 miles, which is within the journey range for departments that use them,’ they added.
‘ Vehicles are strategically placed in policing areas around the county where they can be used effectively, where they can be easily charged and to ensure we put into practice our commitment to reducing carbon and improving our sustainability.’
Eighteen months ago an officer ran out of charge and the vehicle was recovered, they said.
British Transport Police has invested in a fleet of 80 vehicles, made up of high-end Teslas and Kia cars. It is on track to have 25 per cent of its fleet electric by the end of the year, a spokesman said.
Sussex Police has ‘ about 40’ electric vehicles which it shares with Surrey Police.
Devon and Cornwall Police are the only force to have used electric vehicle for pursuits, according to freedom of information requests.
‘First priority is to fight crime’