Tuesday 11th April 2017

Hybrid US police cars announced

Great news for police department coffers, bad news for movie car chases

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A little while back Ford confirmed that a hybrid Mustang would become a production reality as part of its electrification drive. Must have been a shock to some, if you will excuse the tragic pun. But the Ford hybrid push extends further than the muscle cars and pick-ups, as it now also includes police cars...

Yes, this is the Police Responder Hybrid Sedan; sounds a bit like what Hot Wheels would have to call a car without the licence for it, but is clearly based on the Ford Fusion and is said to be the industry's first pursuit-rated hybrid police car.

Moreover with Ford apparently having a 63 per cent market share in police vehicle sales, and the cars available to order this year, this is clearly not some toe in the water test bed. US cities will be getting four-cylinder hybrid police cars soon!

The Police Responder Hybrid Sedan has been built to replace the 3.7-litre V6 Police Interceptor used currently. That engine is replaced by a 2.0-litre Atkinson-cycle motor, then supplemented by an electric motor powered by a lithium battery. Fuel consumption is expected to be halved, with a predicted 38mpg against today's 18. More than that the battery allows the high electrical loads of a police vehicle to be managed without the engine running. That battery also allows the Responder to reach 60mph on electricity alone. All this while being "tough enough to handle police pursuits for longer periods at different speeds and over obstacles such as curbs and flooded intersections." Certainly looks it!

Once ordered, the cars are due with police departments next year. Will others follow? Are the days of V6 and V8 police cars rolling around the US numbered? What about car chases in American films? Surely they can't use four-cylinder police cars. So many questions to answer!

[rtz62]

Presumably able to recharge their own tasers 'in-flight'. Sounds like Robocop is coming to a city near you...

[GTEYE]

Things will just not be the same when the Crown Vics have all gone....

A battery powered Mondeo just doesn't cut it!

[Clivey]

GTEYE said:

Things will just not be the same when the Crown Vics have all gone....

A battery powered Mondeo just doesn't cut it!

I agree. I do wonder how these will hold-up to the sort of abuse that a moon-mileage Crown Vic would shrug off. Anyway, If I were an American cop, I'd be sorely disappointed if I'd gone in expecting to be driving a V8 barge but was given the keys to one of these instead.

[Loyly]

I wonder when we'll get hybrid police cars in the UK in a large scale. Most of the police fleets in the country are diesel, which I expect will have to change at some point.

[griffsomething]

For the really quick criminals, I guess they still have the Hemi V8 Dodge Chargers available. They look way more menacing too!

[don logan]

Nobody ever seems to mention where the dead batteries go!

[ivantate]

I have been here for 3 years and not seen a really good cop chase. (other than being caught doing 85mph in a Chrysler 200).

Always 5 cop cars responding to a small disturbance/accident.
This will cut the costs massively. Likely to be more abuse proof if the basic structure can hold up.

[Evoquative]

don logan said:

Nobody ever seems to mention where the dead batteries go!

They get recycled (contain valuable materials) or reused in storage for power back-up or renewable energy projects.