From what we generally know about the police and other law enforcement agencies based on the movies (and perhaps through real life interactions with family members and friends in the police force), these brave men and women do spend plenty of time on the beat in a car, or perhaps taking slow patrols of neighborhoods. Driving at such slow speeds while engaged on a low gear is not the most economical method of driving around, and Ford thinks that they have a brilliant solution: by coming up with a pursuit-rated hybrid police car. Yes, sir, that sounds like an oxymoron, but it is about right, too.
The Police Responder Hybrid Sedan will bring together a 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle engine alongside an electric motor, and it supposedly boasts a fuel consumption figure of 38 mpg on average. Having been built based on a Fusion Hybrid platform, the Ford Police Responder Hybrid Sedan would have double the efficiency of the Police Interceptor model. That particular model was based on the Ford Taurus that carried a 3.7-liter V6 underneath the hood, offering a far less economical 18 mpg.
The Ford Fusion has been rated as one of the top 10 most fuel efficient vehicles in the US by Consumer Reports, so it makes perfect sense for the Police Responder Hybrid Sedan to be inspired by the Ford Fusion. After all, why bother to reinvent the wheel when you already have a strong base to begin with? Apart from a generous on-road fuel economy, the Police Responder is also supposedly able to help the police force save approximately a quarter-gallon for each hour of idling.
In other words, assuming a police vehicle runs a couple of eight-hour shifts daily, and is idle for close to 5 hours, resulting in an annual mileage of 20,000. With the Police Responder Hybrid Sedan, Ford figured out that they can potentially save up to $3,900 per year as opposed to the Interceptor, and this is taking into consideration that gas remains within the $2.50 a gallon band. When you take that savings and multiply it by the hundreds, it would translate to a sizeable savings for the taxpayer.
The big question now is, will the Police Responder Hybrid Sedan be able to be useful in catching the bad guys who might be riding around in more powerful vehicles? Apparently so, as Ford is proud to point out that the Police Responder Hybrid Sedan is more than able to hit 60 mph based on battery power alone. Not only that, it comes equipped with special hardware like front deflector plates, police-purpose wheels and a heavy-duty suspension to help our men and women in blue clamp down on crime.
The Police Responder Hybrid Sedan will be formally introduced in New York and Los Angeles, and there are also plans by Ford to introduce yet another hybrid police vehicle some time down the road -- which we are looking at a compact or an SUV, based on the needs on hand. Expect deliveries of the Police Responder Hybrid Sedan to arrive some time in the summer of 2018.
