Police to go green with electric patrol cars

Jul 27, 2009, 4:48 GMT

   Hong Kong - Hong Kong is set to become the second place in the world after Japan to use electric police patrol cars when the first batch enters service later this year, a media report said Monday.

   Japanese car maker Mitsubishi will initially supply 10 of its four-door iMiEV cars to the territory's government with three earmarked for police use, the South China Morning Post newspaper said. The others will be used by government departments and agencies.

   The car, which has zero emissions by using a lithium-ion battery and an electric motor, has a top speed of 130 kilometres per hour and can travel 160 kilometres after an eight-hour charge using a household plug. Fuel costs would be cut by around 66 per cent compared with petrol vehicles.

   Police senior inspector Joe Li Tung-cheung said the ultimate aim was to replace up to 500 petrol-driven patrol cars with electric vehicles, although they would not be used as fast response vehicles.

   'The test drives have been very satisfactory and we are confident that its performance will be on par with (petrol) patrol cars,' he said.

   Li added, 'Electric cars have advantages on islands such as Cheung Chau and Lamma, where no petrol stations are available.'

   In Japan, the cars are used around Yokohama and other parts of Kanagawa prefecture.

   Police in China also use electric powered golf carts, complete with emergency flashing lights, in areas where access would be difficult for conventional vehicles.