By Police1 Staff
LONDON — In order to combat the toxic air in the city, the London Metropolitan Police Service plans to roll out 250 hybrid patrol cars and motorcycles as the first stage of their “green revolution.”
According to the Evening Standard, the rollout is the first stage in a $26 million program to replace 700 of the total 4,000 cars in 2017 and 2018.
The department is testing hydrogen scooters for officers on street patrol as well.
“Our aim is to make the fleet as clean as we can whilst maintaining operational capability and we are working with the Mayor on his new low emission zones and the fleet deployment will complement the low emission neighborhoods,” head of police fleet services Jiggs Bharij said.
Officials have been comparing the costs with different car makers including Ford, Mercedes, Nissan, Renault, and VW.
For front line operations, Police Chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe has been speaking to Tesla to test their cars for the fleet.
According to the Standard, the force stopped buying diesel cars in response to toxic “black” air quality alerts in the city.
The use of hydrogen fuel cell cars as emergency response vehicles is a first for the U.K.
“These first vehicles are a stepping stone that will allow us to build the volume over time once we have the right technology and infrastructure in place,” Bharij said.