JAN. 2025. Blues Vol 41 No. 1

PRODUCTS &SERVICESAROUND

PRODUCTS &SERVICESAROUND THE COUNTRYEV PATROL CARSAre Electric Patrol Vehicles Ready for Duty?BY Wayne Parham,POLICEMAG.COMAlthough the Ann Arbor Police Departmentonly uses battery-electricvehicles in administrative roles, itsFord Mustang Mach-E is serving asa recruitment aid to attract youngergeneration officers.What are the capabilities ofbattery-electric police vehicles toserve in a patrol capacity? There isno simple answer due to variety ofmission needs, agencies, and theavailability of charging infrastructure.So, what role does a battery-electricpatrol vehicle (BEV)now play, and how do they meetthe needs of law enforcement? Thevehicles are capable in some roles,but what else is needed?The Michigan State Police PrecisionDriving Unit tests and evaluatespatrol vehicles submitted by automakers(OEMs) and has tested BEVsfor the past three years. This wasthe second year of testing for theChevrolet Blazer EV PPV, a purpose-builtBEV intended for patroland pursuit. However, Ford did notsend its Mustang Mach-E for evaluationthis year.The Mach-E was undergoing someupdates that were not completed intime for the MSP evaluation, explainsLindsey Bertino, police brandmarketing manager for Ford. However,the Mach-E was included in theWest Coast evaluations that weredone later in the year.BATTERY-ELECTRIC VS. GASMichigan State Police startedtesting police vehicles in the 1950s,long before the modern era of battery-poweredcars. When an OEMsubmits a BEV for testing, MSP givesit a full review the same as it doeswith the internal combustion engine(ICE) vehicles.Lt. Nicholas Darlington, of theMichigan State Police PrecisionDriving Unit, shares his insightsafter time behind the wheel of boththe Ford Mustang Mach-E and theChevrolet Blazer EV PPV. Comparedto ICE vehicles, in BEVs, the locationof the battery lowers the center ofgravity, and the cornering speedsare much greater than they are inthe ICE counterparts.“The one thing I think is notablein comparison to some of its ICEcounterparts is when you startlooking at acceleration, [BEVs] standout. In terms of dynamic testing andvehicle handling, there is really theconsistency in the times across allfour drivers; that’s where that vehiclestands out,” says Darlington. Hedescribes both the Mach-E and theBlazer EV PPV as “super capablecars around the track.”DOES THE ADDED WEIGHT HELPMAINTAIN TRACTION?“I think so,” Darlington answers.“Where we do our dynamic testingat Grattan Speedway, it’s a prettytaxing course for the cars that we’re76 The BLUES - JANUARY ‘25

The Chevrolet Blazer EV PPV is a purpose-built battery-electric vehicle engineeredfor patrol. General Motors calls it pursuit-rated.testing. You just don’t see the wheelspin that you otherwise would insome of the ICE vehicles.”Darlington says he is often askedif BEV patrol vehicles handle anddrive like heavier vehicles. His answeris all anyone has to do is giveit a try on an acceleration run. BEVsare known for lots of torque andquick acceleration. Yet, the weightof a BEV does not hamper how ithandles.“That BEV vehicle is capable ofhandling corner speeds at muchhigher speeds than that of the othervehicles. So, you’re just not evengetting that understeer or a push ina lot of the turns,” Darlington says.TRANSITIONING OFFICERS TO BEVSWhen a department adds BEVsto its fleet, what do officers needto learn before getting behind thewheel? Darlington says MSP isworking to learn what can be donewith applications of BEVs, policies,what shouldn’t be done, and whatcould be done better with ICE vehicles.“I don’t think that there’s a lot oftraining that needs to take placeoutside of learning about chargingand paying attention to the milesand things like that,” he explains.MSP troopers, and likely otherofficers as well, are accustomed tousing patrol units to push disabledvehicles out of the roadway in metroareas. Can that be accomplishedwith a BEV? Darlington thinks thatwould be no problem at all.Can BEVs be used when an officerneeds a PIT maneuver to end apursuit?“So even though I don’t have anyfirsthand experience practicing anyPITs yet with a BEV vehicle, I knowwith the torque and acceleration,that vehicle probably shouldn’t haveany problems pushing that vehicle,and even the increased weight ofthe vehicle is probably going to helpit maintain traction as you’re pushinginto that vehicle and rotating it,”Darlington says.With a heavier vehicle, is there anofficer safety concern about single-vehiclecrashes?“The OEMs have done a fantasticjob of building in some integratedsafety features into the stability andtraction control to help assist thoseofficers who are behind the wheeland keep them safe,” he explains.Ford’s Bertino says she is seeingagencies now that will include BEVsin EVOC training.“They want to make sure that officersare trained on how to handlethe vehicles and feel that they havea little bit more control than theydo the traditional patrol vehicles,there’s additional weight with thebattery electric vehicle because ofthe battery pack, “Bertino says. “So,it’s really interesting to see that.”SIZE AND PAYLOAD CHALLENGESOne key challenge for departmentsadopting BEV patrol vehicles,Darlington points out, is payloadcapacity. In looking up the data onBEVs tested, he found the total pay-The BLUES - JANUARY ‘25 77