The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) is replacing 20 gas-powered vehicles with pure electric hatchbacks.
The cars will be available to detectives for follow-up work as well as administrative staff. The new electric Ford Focus cars being added to the fleet will be unmarked, and equipped with sirens and emergency lights.
The vehicles will complement the VPD’s existing green fleet, joining two other pure electric vehicles, 12 hybrid vehicles and two electric motorcycles.
“We work with the City of Vancouver to look for practical ways to reduce the VPD’s environmental footprint,” said VPD fleet manager Rob Rothwell in a release. “We are taking steps to reduce emissions, and are adopting zero emission vehicles where they match our needs.”
It takes five-and-a-half hours to achieve an 80 per cent charge on the vehicle. When fully-charged, the Focus has a range of approximately 185 kilometres, using a 107-kilowatt electric motor powered by a 33.5 kilowatt hour lithium-ion battery.
“We are thrilled to see the VPD replace 20 gas-powered cars with the same number of all electric vehicles that are green, clean and quiet,” said Doug Smith, director of the City’s Sustainability Group, in a release. “These new electric vehicles will positively impact Vancouver by reducing both air pollution and greenhouse gases. The VPD are an important part of the City’s Green Fleet Strategy to reduce fleet emissions by 50 per cent by 2030.”