In a first for the department, a dark gray, environmentally friendly electric vehicle joined the Palm Beach Police fleet last summer.
The department’s Motorcycle Patrol Unit has been using the 2022 Ford Mustang Mach-E since August, department spokesman Capt. William Rothrock told the Daily News.
Equipped with features such as a 360-degree camera, wireless phone charging and hands-free driving, the $51,600 vehicle has been assigned to the city’s traffic unit for traffic enforcement duties. Rothrock said he is not aware of any other police department in the state that uses an electric Mustang cruiser, though he noted that the New York Police Department recently purchased 100 of the vehicles.
The cruiser is part of the department’s efforts to be more environmentally conscious, which has included a transition to hybrid patrol vehicles, Rothrock said.
“With the cost of fuel, trying to reduce our carbon footprint and keep the air in the city of Palm Beach as clean as possible, it only makes sense to move in the direction of electric vehicles,” Rothrock said. “More and more manufacturers are entering the electric vehicle market.”
Rothrock noted that electric vehicles were a cost-effective option for the city.
In addition to the savings at the pump, maintenance costs for electric vehicles are also expected to be much lower because they don’t require engine oil changes, tune-ups and fuel filters, Rothrock said.
Also, he said, the brakes will last much longer because of the electric motor’s regenerative braking.
With the manufacturer’s built-in battery protection systems, the Mustang Mach-E’s lithium batteries are expected to last 300,000 to 500,000 miles, Rothrock said.
Palm Beach police officers charge the car between shifts with a 12-kilowatt Level 2 charger, Rothrock said. The Mustang can be charged from a dead battery to full in seven hours.
For now, Palm Beach police have no plans to add another Mustang Mach-E to their vehicle fleet, Rothrock said.
But the department is trying to replace other police vehicles with electric options whenever possible as they reach the end of their lives. It also continues to transition from marked patrol vehicles to hybrids as replacements arrive, he added.
