News: Ford Launches Police Plug-In Hybrid

Vehicle for Law Enforcement and Government Customers

Ford has already dipped its toe into unchartered waters by offering a hybrid cruiser to law enforcement customers. Evidently, the response was good enough that they decided to up the ante and offer a plug-in hybrid version of the company’s Fusion midsize sedan outfitted with all of the requisite police equipment (known in civilian trim as the Energi). The advantage is that this police cruiser can sneak up on all-electric mode, while still maintaining an extended range of more than 500 miles.

Ford said the Special Service Plug-in Hybrid Sedan was developed with input from police and fire chiefs, detectives and other non-pursuit law enforcement personnel. Like its civilian counterpart, the Police Plug-in Fusion packs a 7.6 kWh lithium-ion battery that will deliver up to 21 miles of pure electric driving while still maintaining hybrid-electric mode that adds up to another 480 miles of driving range.

Earlier this year, Ford revealed a hybrid Fusion pursuit-rated police package, which has been well-received.

“This is the first Ford police vehicle that can potentially get through an entire shift using no gasoline whatsoever,” said Stephen Tyler, Ford police brand marketing manager. “Anyone can plug this in to any wall outlet to run gas- and emissions-free on battery-only operation.”

The vehicle’s 3.3-kilowatt onboard charger allows agencies to fully charge the 7.6-kilowatt-hour battery in just 2.5 hours on a 240-volt, level-two charger. But Ford is confident most agencies won’t need anything more than a regular 120-volt wall outlet to recharge.

Custom Features

The custom interior features heavy-duty cloth front seats with reduced bolsters for officer comfort, and rear anti-stab plates plus vinyl rear seating and flooring. Other highlights include a reinforced top tray for mounting equipment, metal console mounting plate, red and white task lighting in the overhead console, police engine-idle feature, unique alloy wheels and an auxiliary power distribution box in the trunk.

Unique options available for the Special Service Plug-In Hybrid Sedan include a driver spot lamp, a trunk storage vault, trunk ventilation system and a rear door control-disabling feature. A special dark-car feature turns off interior lighting and allows the dash cluster to be dimmed 100 percent for surveillance, along with several emergency lighting packages like those found on other Ford police vehicles are also available.

The new plug-in police car joins two other Ford law enforcement vehicles introduced earlier this year–the Ford Police Responder Hybrid Sedan and F-150 Police Responder. Recently, both successfully completed rigorous testing conducted by Michigan State Police at Grattan Raceway in Belding, Michigan, and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.

The plug-in model can be ordered in December for summer delivery.

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