The Force is going electric for car trial
THE latest Metropolitan Police uniformed response cars have been revealed – and they’re all electric.
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) received their first delivery of uniformed range extender response cars, as part of a six-month trial across three London boroughs.
After the unveiling outside New Scotland Yard in December, the BMW i3 Range Extender has now officially started its period of testing and evaluation with the Met.
The vehicle, which will be used by response policing teams across the boroughs of Westminster, Greenwich and Bexley, is the first ‘ range extender ‘model to be used by a UK police service.
The electric car also has a small petrol engine and generator as back up for when the batteries run out, giving the driver an ‘extended range’ before they need to recharge.
Officers will report back on their experience of using the vehicle during regular patrolling duties, in addition to the standard testing evaluation tools.
Terry Hunt, director of the force’s Centrally Delivered Support Services, said: “The i3 is a brilliant fit with the technology-driven approach of the Met. We are committed to keeping our carbon footprint as low as possible and innovative pilots such as this provide us with experience of how that might be achieved.”
The MPS Driving School will also be testing the vehicle and providing expert advice on its potential use.
The innovative car has been loaned by BMW for Met officers to test the future possibilities of using electric range extender response cars as part of the regular fleet.
and