The Hard Life of Police Cars
Regardless of where you live, police cars live a hard life. While not all spend their days in hot pursuit, they still spend long hours on the road, sitting in traffic or driving down the highway. They're also saddled by hundreds of pounds worth of equipment, all of which adds extra wear on components.
America has the Ford Police Interceptor Utility and the ChevroletTahoe Police Pursuit Vehicle. But for most parts of Europe, you'll often see minivans, compact crossovers, and the ubiquitous station wagon. But, like in America, some countries in the Old Continent have been dabbling in EV patrol cars, and Austria has passed judgment on them.
Bundesministerium für Inneres (BMI)
Not for General Patrol
The Austrian Federal Police launched Project Tron back in January 2024. It started with a fleet of 24 EVs, comprising a mix of Volkswagen ID.3s and ID.4s, along with a Porsche Taycan for highway patrol duties. These cars were then used for normal, day-to-day patrol duties, so whatever conditions the diesel- and gas-powered police faced, the EVs had to endure as well.
The result? Two years after the program was launched, the Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior has concluded that EVs are unsuitable for such duties according to Auto Motor und Sport. The ministry cited charging challenges, limited range, and compromised payload as some of the reasons why it has decided to stop the program. Those 24 battery-powered police vehicles will not be part of the motor pool at the end of the year.
The range problem is compounded by the fact that the auxiliaries fitted to police vehicles add more load to the batteries. Also, the extra weight of equipment needed for patrol forces the vehicle to consume more energy to get moving. Sure, it saves the national police service some fuel, but sticking to a predictable charging cycle while on rounds simply isn't possible given the nature of police work.
Bundesministerium für Inneres (BMI)
Alternative Duties
That said, EVs will trickle into Austria's police fleets in one way or another. However, you won't see them doing general patrols or being stationed on the highway to catch speeders. Instead, they'll take on less strenuous tasks such as admin work or non-emergency calls.
It will be interesting to see whether U.S. fleets that have added a couple of EVs in their respective fleets will have similar results from the Austrian program. It's possible that it will be a yes, especially given that police forces in America demand more from their vehicles. Like in Austria, there's a good chance that EVs will mainly be used for administrative duties and nothing more.
Kyah117/Wikimedia Commons
What do Austrian Cops Drive?
For the most part, you'll see loads of Volkswagen Tourans and Skoda Kodiaqs with POLIZEI plastered on their doors. Think of the Touran as the minivan version of the Golf, while the Kodiaq is essentially a Tiguan with a different body. Another common patrol vehicle in Austria is the Skoda Octavia Kombi — a Golf SportWagen with an even more reasonable price tag.
You'll also find Volkswagen Transporters being used alongside the Skodas and Tourans. There are also special branches that roll in Audi A6 Avants and sedans typically fitted with the most powerful diesel option available, as well as a couple of Volkswagen Passat Variants (wagon). As you might have noticed, a vast majority of Austrian police vehicles come from the Volkswagen Auto Group.
Bundesministerium für Inneres (BMI)
from Autoblog News https://ift.tt/V7CrOy3
0 Comments