The Pursuit Is On For Ford's Police Responder Hybrid Sedan

Photo Credit: Ford Motor Company

Despite thoughts to the contrary, hybrid vehicles utilizing electric-assist driving are not going anywhere. The frequently adapted gasoline-electric powertrain associated with hybrid automobiles enables a level of efficiency resulting in fewer gasoline emissions. Better fuel economy through hybrids also contributes to savings on gasoline that can total to quite a sum in longer terms.

For 2017, almost every auto company has now introduced at least one hybrid vehicle, Ford Motor Company and Toyota have both taken the once-alternative powertrain the furthest in the marketplace. In the case of Ford, the auto company is committed to developing 13 electrified production vehicles. Including hybrid versions of customer favourite Mustang and F-150 for the future, the blue oval’s plans also consist of implanting electrified products into fleet applications. Catering to their loyal law enforcement customer base as they fulfill their vision of electrified motoring, the Police Responder Hybrid will be available to serve a manner no other vehicle of its type has previously done.

Based on the Fusion sedan, the Ford Police Responder Hybrid is propelled by a 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle engine working in concert with an electric motor operating on power supplied by a lithium-ion battery. Unofficial projected fuel economy for the Police Responder Hybrid is stated to be EPA-estimated at 38 miles per gallon.
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Photo Credit: Ford Motor Company

The Ford Police Responder Hybrid is remarkable within the law enforcement community but will not be the first hybrid to perform within police departments. In 2009, a fleet of Nissan Altima Hybrids was activated by the NYPD as patrol cars while the occasional sight of a Toyota Prius, Ford Escape Hybrid Ford Fusion Hybrid could also be detected serving various duties in the city. The plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt has also been adopted by the NYPD designated for non-emergency duties. Canadian law enforcement agencies have also exercised limited use of hybrid vehicles. At least one Toyota Prius served as a school liaison has been used by the RCMP and Edmonton Police Services have up to 15 hybrid vehicles in their fleet including the Ford Escape Hybrid.

What sets the Ford Police Responder Hybrid as a revolutionary vehicle is its ‘all-in’ law enforcement engineering. Ford has created the industry’s first hybrid that is fully equipped as a pursuit capable police car. In order to meet extreme driving conditions, the Ford Police Responder Hybrid has been toughened with heavy-duty suspension parts, special tire/hubcap combination and front deflector plates. The hybrid powertrain has been specially tuned for law enforcement duty by Ford featuring a battery-only mode that can run up to 60 miles per hour (96.6 kilometres per hour) and regenerator braking matched with large diameter rotors. The Ford Police Responder Hybrid has already been placed through a battery of police pursuit duty tests to gain its certification as a pursuit quality machine. Undergoing two durability tests, the hybrid pursuit sedan has also been subjected to water fording and reverse J-turn testing.

Photo Credit: Ford Motor Company

New York City released a study in 2014 on the deployment of just less than 6,900 gasoline-hybrid vehicles within their police and fire department. Their findings indicated the average cost-savings available from hybrid vehicles is $10,812 when calculating fuel, maintenance and added auction value. Ford has estimated with the Police Responder Hybrid fuel savings would be almost $3,900 less per year compared to the brand’s current Police Interceptor Sedan powered by a 3.7-liter V-6 engine.

Expect the first crime-fighting Ford Police Responder Hybrid sedans to be pressed into duty next summer in the United States.

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