Earlier today, there was evidence of Ford’s long history of law enforcement support in the form of a South Daytona police officer engaged in a traffic stop while using something rarely seen anymore, a Crown Victoria sedan still in front-line fleet service. That’s becoming a very rare sight, and here’s part of the reason why. The Ford Police Interceptor fleet, which includes the Explorer, Taurus and F-Series trucks, is angling toward an all-electric option. The Michigan State Police, one of two major U.S. law enforcement agencies that perform extensive vehicle testing – the other is the Los Angeles Police Department – has begun evaluation of a police EV based on the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E, which essentially a prototype that Ford is considering for volume sale to public-safety agencies.
Yes, it’s true that the Mach-E lacks the interior space for police equipment that the Explorer PI offers, but there are a host of non-patrol duties where an EV would be a good fit, such as detective transportation and parking enforcement, to name just two possibilities. Police agencies in the United Kingdom are already evaluating an AWD version of the Mach-E, including the Sussex, Surrey, South Wales, Dyfed Powys, Devon & Cornwall and Police Scotland agencies, along with the Metropolitan Police of London. Stateside, most major agencies pay close attention to MSP vehicle testing and base their fleet-purchase decisions greatly upon the test results. Silent and stealthy, don’t you know?
Jim Donnelly On Wheels 