Ford Motor Co. is introducing what it calls the industry’s first pursuit-rated gasoline-electric hybrid police vehicle that more than doubles the fuel economy of the current Ford police interceptor.
The Police Responder Hybrid Sedan is based on the Ford Fusion midsize sedan and can be ordered this spring and will be delivered next summer. It is rated at 38 mpg combined. It features an Atkinson-cycle 2.0-liter engine paired with an electric motor and lithium-ion battery.
Ford says it can run in battery-only mode up to 60 mph.
The hybrid Fusion police sedan is one of 13 new electrified vehicles Ford is adding to its portfolio by 2021. It previously announced plans for the sedan, along with a second hybrid police vehicle, a fully electric SUV, a hybrid F-150, a hybrid Mustang, a hybrid autonomous vehicle and a Transit Custom plug-in hybrid earlier this year.
“Electrifying our next generation of vehicles is core to our unwavering commitment to sustainability,” Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s President of the Americas, said in a statement. “By being a leader in electrified vehicles, we remain committed to delivering cars, trucks and SUVs that are better not only for our customers, but for the environment and society as well.”
The automaker is investing $4.5 billion in the 13 electrified vehicles. Additionally, Ford said last week it will electrify 70 percent of its Ford brand portfolio in China by 2025.
Ford hopes the hybrid police car will give it a larger slice of a market it already dominates. The Blue Oval owns a 63 percent market share of the police vehicle segment and has sold vehicles to law enforcement since 1920.
Ford said the hybrid sedan will help cities save about $3,877 a year in fuel costs, based on gasoline priced at $2.50 a gallon.
The company planned to unveil the sedan Monday in New York in advance of the New York International Auto Show. It will hold a simultaneous reveal in Los Angeles.
“Our mission to create safe and healthy communities in Los Angeles is achieved through sustainable approaches in community policing, and that includes embracing new technologies,” Charlie Beck, Los Angeles Police Department Chief, said in a statement. “Patrol vehicles are a police officer’s office, and we expect them to not only be economically and environmentally efficient but also an effective tool for fighting crime in major metropolitan areas.”
“Ford Fusion hybrid police sedan rated at 38 mpg combined city, highway” was originally published at Automotive News on 4/10/17.