Thames Valley Police, based in the South-West of England, have just taken delivery of their first electric patrol car. Thankfully the little Mitsubishi i-MiEV will only be used for non-emergency duties in and around Milton Keynes city center. And that’s a good thing, because it’s difficult to imagine seeing this thing performing the PIT maneuver on fleeing bank robbers. Although if they’re escaping on bicycles it might be up to the job.
The i-MiEV actually makes good sense for policing in congested and pedestrianised city centers, and the reduced running costs should save some of the taxpayer’s money. Of course the downside to using a one-trick-pony electric vehicle in a police force which needs to respond to a wide array of unexpected tasks, is that it can’t be used for anything other than non-emergency, relatively low-speed driving. It’d be frustrating to find out a fugitive got away because the nearest police officer only had an 80 mph top speed.
Dave McDonald, Chiltern’s Transport Fleet Manager said of the new police-spec i-MiEV: “On the principle that we are all in this together we will work with customers, suppliers and other stakeholders to radically reduce and eventually eliminate our fleets’ dependency on fossil fuels.”
“The purchase of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV for use by Thames Valley Police in Milton Keynes not only signals Chiltern Transport Consortium’s commitment to this endeavour but also promotes electric vehicles as a viable option for other fleets and individuals.”
Source: Mitsubishi
“Thames Valley Police” “South-West of England”
I hope you know more about cars than you do about geography!!
Apart from the geography – I think this little Car is actually quite suitable for patrolling the Redway system – I used to live in MK some 20odd years ago and I remember not feeling too safe in some areas back then. Knowing the Redways being patrolled would certainly be a good point.