Ford hybrid police car: Catches bad guys, saves gas too
The next time the cops chase you down for speeding, they could be driving a fuel-efficient gas-electric hybrid.
Ford Motor Co., which sells more police cars in the U.S. than any other automaker, says it will offer a police pursuit version of the hybrid Fusion midsize sedan, in response to requests from cities nationwide.
The new car, with a 2-liter four-cylinder engine and 1.4-kilowatt lithium-ion battery, is expected to get 38 miles per gallon of gas in combined city-highway driving. That’s 20 mpg more than Ford’s current police car, the Taurus police interceptor.
Police cars spend much of their days idling by the side of a road, and that’s where the hybrid has a true advantage, Ford said. The gasoline engine will shut off at idle, with the battery handling the electrical load for flashers, radios and other devices. The engine will restart to recharge the battery.
Ford said at $2.50 per gallon for gas, the hybrid would save a police department $3,877 per year in fuel costs per vehicle. The price of the hybrid, available in the fall of 2018, isn’t being released just yet. (AP)
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