by Guy Page
Like other departments in city government, the Montpelier Police Department is reducing its carbon footprint. But MPD isn’t going EV just yet – they cost too much and are impractical as police cruisers for several reasons.
The following question appears on the Frequently Asked Questions page of the MPD website: Why does MPD use larger gas and gas/electric hybrid vehicles instead of electric vehicles?
The answer is published verbatim below.
While we are excited by the prospect of electric vehicles lowering the carbon footprint of police work, there are many limitations that current electric vehicle options will have to overcome to make them a viable alternative.
The greatest challenges are budgetary, as electric vehicles are across the board more expensive than their gas counterparts. The Ford hybrid cruisers we’ve been transitioning to are several thousand dollars more than gas SUVs and pickup trucks and still quite a bit cheaper than many base model electric sedans or SUVs. We understand savings in fuel and maintenance costs could mitigate some of this.
Another issue is capacity and interior space. Upfitting a police vehicle adds several hundred pounds of equipment in the form of warning lights, protective barriers between front and rear seats, cruiser camera equipment, radios, and all the accompanying black boxes to power this equipment that are currently installed in the generous cargo areas of our Explorers. The weight of this installed equipment, plus the hundreds of pounds of other equipment that is in each of our cars (road flares and cones, ballistic shield, less lethal tools, evidence collection kits, protective helmets and vests, etc.) not to mention their bulk, limit the interior space of the car as well as will diminish the range, especially in the winter.
Few police equipment manufacturers make products for electric vehicle models, which presents another challenge, as much of it is necessary for the safety of officers and community members we interact with. The Explorers are the first cruisers MPD has ever had that accommodates all of this equipment, plus are comfortable for our larger officers and are safe and comfortable for someone in custody who is placed in the rear seat.
There is significant liability in transporting someone who is in custody and having a vehicle, like the Ford Explorer, where the rear doors are designed to open to 90 degrees and have adequate spacing between the seats and barrier for even the largest or most out of control person to be placed inside safely and comfortably is essential. Once someone is in custody, we may have to transport them to one of the correctional facilities in South Burlington or St. Johnsbury, which again brings the issue of range, comfort, and liability into play. In addition, MPD has multiple equipment trailers for storing and transporting a variety of essential equipment, vehicle barriers and traffic control devices, and all-terrain rescue vehicle that may need to be deployed at a moments notice. This necessitates having vehicles in our fleet with sufficient towing capacity as well.
Speaking of range, police work is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, in all seasons and weather conditions. This means many of our vehicles are being driven constantly throughout a 24-hour period, which would mean opportunities to charge the vehicle’s battery would often be limited.
The current limitations of Level 1 and Level 2 chargers would make achieving an adequate charge for the length of a 10-hour shift or a trip to St. Johnsbury difficult. Level 3 Tesla Superchargers and DC Fast Chargers are more effective, but this again leads to upfront costs as Level 3 infrastructure would be necessary. Even the installation of multiple lower-level chargers will require significant infrastructure work and upfront costs.
And again, with the car’s battery powering radios, lights, and other equipment, what will the range of these vehicles actually be? We could, of course, change our practices drastically and simply drive less. Random and directed vehicle patrols have been the backbone of police work for decades though there has been a movement towards increased foot and bike patrols. These alternative patrol methods depend on things like staffing levels, weather, call volume, call type, and other factors that are often outside the control of officers, which is why we tend to drive vehicles that can be instantly refueled, can carry any and all equipment that might possibly by needed, can comfortably accommodate officers and secured passengers for extended periods of time, and are capable in all weather conditions.
This conversation remains ongoing as we balance the operational needs of police work with longer term goals such as net zero emissions. We are listening and are trying to find compromises, such as with our recent acquisition of hybrid cruisers, which eliminates much of the idling and gas usage at low speeds. Technology in this area is improving rapidly and it is likely that electric vehicles that meet the criteria for regular use by police departments are on the horizon.