Police are trialing a BMW electric car for six months to see if it meets their operational needs.
The BMW i4 is worth more than $100,000 and can accelerate from standstill to 100kmh in 5.7 seconds.
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster launched the trial in Ardmore, South Auckland, on June 2.
He says it represents an important commitment to reducing carbon emissions.
“Police vehicles are fundamental to our ability to serve the public and provide safer communities across New Zealand.
“We’re proud to take these new steps seeking to reduce transport-related emissions while keeping New Zealanders safe.”
The i4 has an electric battery range of 590km, but that distance depends on how fast it’s driven and how much weight it’s carrying.
It can be charged in about two hours using electric vehicle chargers installed at police stations.
If charged with a hyper-charger, it will be fully charged in about 30 minutes.
The first vehicle will be trialed in Waikato and then deployed to Counties Manukau, Central Districts, Christchurch, and Dunedin.
Police say the i4 has been selected for the initial trial after successfully meeting most performance requirements for an operational vehicle while fulfilling carbon-reduction targets and fitting within existing project funding.
Road Policing has been identified as a suitable trial for operational use and the trial is initially limited to five vehicles.
If the trial is successful, it will create an opportunity for police to consider future options EVs to transition into suitable areas of the fleet.
The trial is part of a wider fleet electrification project, introducing 45 EVs into the New Zealand police fleet and the associated charging infrastructure.
The expectation is that will reduce carbon emissions by about 176.1 tonnes annually.
This trial aligns New Zealand with global policing innovations and modernises and transforms its fleet while seeking to meet carbon reduction targets.
Work is also under way to identify practical ways to reduce fleet carbon emissions by analysing what the fleet comprises, how police use their vehicles and alternative means of travel.
The project is supported with $1.7 million in co-funding from the State Sector Decarbonisation Fund, administered by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority.
