Emergency services have introduced electric vehicles into their fleet, and battery-powered police and ambulance vehicles are ready to hit the road.
A Hyundai Ioniq 6 electric sedan has joined the New South Wales Nepean Police Area Command’s vehicle fleet for use in its Crime Prevention Unit.
The sedan, which the manufacturer is loaning to authorities, will not be used in pursuits or highway patrols.
Nepean Police Area Command explained that officers would use the electric vehicle for their “daily business” within the community.
A Hyundai Ioniq 6 electric sedan has joined the New South Wales Nepean Police Area Command’s vehicle fleet for use in its Crime Prevention Unit (pictured)
The sedan, provided by the manufacturer, will be used by the agents in their daily activities and can be seen circulating on the streets with the license plates ‘EV COP’ (in the photo).
“Nepean Police Area Command took possession of a brand new Hyundai IONIQ 6, proudly sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company Australia,” the command wrote on Facebook.
‘The vehicle will be used by our Crime Prevention Unit in their daily activities within the community.
“We appreciate Hyundai Motor Company Australia’s commitment to supporting our efforts to maintain public safety and community engagement.”
Motorists in New South Wales will be able to see it driving on the streets with the ‘EV COP’ license plates.
Although the specifications of the electric vehicle have not yet been revealed, Hyundai offers the electric model in three variants with two batteries and the option of rear or all-wheel drive.
The Standard Range model, with a 53 kWh battery, has a driving range of 429 kilometers. The Extended Range model, equipped with a 77.4 kWh battery, has a driving range of 614 kilometers.
New South Wales Police previously introduced a Hyundai Kona electric SUV in January 2021 for community engagement work.
Last year, Queensland Police added a Kia EV6 to its fleet of highway patrol cars, while in 2022 Western Australia Police began using a Hyundai Ioniq 5 and a Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.
At the time, Matthew Vanderbyl, deputy commissioner of the Queensland Police Service, predicted that electric vehicles would be the future of police cars.
“I think that’s inevitable, I think we’re seeing really accelerated adoption of electric vehicles within the broader community and there’s good reasons for that, and I think we’re no different,” Deputy Commissioner Vanderbyl said in June 2023.
“We have operational implications that we also need to work on, but I think we have also tested some of the previous technologies with hybrids and plug-in hybrids.”
In 2019, Victoria Police added a Tesla Model X as a highway patrol car. However, the electric vehicle is believed to be mainly used for promotional events.
Meanwhile, St Vincent’s Health Network Sydney added an electric LDV eDeliver 9 to its ambulance fleet earlier this year.
Meanwhile, in early June, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services introduced its first battery-electric fire truck to the Sunshine Coast fleet – a Volvo 6×4 FMX Heavy Duty Electric Prime Mover.
It comes after Queensland Fire and Emergency Services introduced its first battery-electric fire truck to the Sunshine Coast fleet – a Volvo 6×4 FMX Heavy Duty Electric Prime Move (pictured).
St Vincent’s Health Network Sydney added an electric LDV eDeliver 9 to its ambulance fleet earlier this year (pictured)
The EV fire truck was the second environmental purchase for the state, with a biofuel fire truck, powered by hydrotreated vegetable oil, arriving in Townsville.
QFES commissioner Steve Smith said the emergency service aimed to reduce operating costs and emissions.
“Both electric and HVO trucks will be tested at a non-critical level of response and operations, allowing us to evaluate the benefits of the vehicles before adopting them across a larger fleet,” Ms Smith said in a statement.
“There are around 500 heavy vehicles in the Fire and Rescue fleet and a further 1,030 in the RFS (Rural Fire Service), so this pilot plays a vital role in shaping the approach we take towards decarbonisation of our service”.
