1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Hybrids Gutless according to Highway Patrol

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by abq sfr, Jul 24, 2008.

  1. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2004
    3,790
    152
    0
    Location:
    Park View, Los Angeles, CA. U.S.A
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    The other day I saw a Prius with San Jose logos on the sides and a low profile LED bar on top. it looked pretty cool :party:
     
  2. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2007
    10,664
    567
    0
    Location:
    Adelaide South Australia
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    A Prius would suit the enforcement work I do if the boot space was 3 inches longer to allow me to carry the 6 portable wheel load scales we carry in our patrol cars.
    The performance would be adequate and the other space in the vehicle more than adequate.
     
  3. dwdean

    dwdean Member

    Joined:
    Apr 28, 2008
    377
    2
    0
    Location:
    South Florida
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    I'll always reserve the right to be wrong.

    However, if I am wrong here, it would be in that I made too general a statement based on the invoices that I'd see periodically for these vehicles (at the time they were all crown vics.) Yes, some were the base interceptor model, many many others had performance enhancements added to them (larger engines and corresponding transmissions, turbo-chargers, high-performance brakes, etc.) by Ford prior to delivery. Those performance enhancements were always removed prior to the car leaving the fleet, even if the car was being junked. That was not true of a base interceptor (the only thing they took off of one of those were the blue lights.)

    Does that mean that every police department does this, or that it's still common practice. No, I can't claim that. However, I'd bet a fair amount of money that especially in larger departments, they're buying enhanced versions of that base interceptor.

    Regardless, I'd still rather the police had the ability to choose the equipment that they feel the most comfortable with. They are after all the ones that have to use it to do their jobs.
     
  4. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2005
    20,178
    8,353
    54
    Location:
    Montana & Nashville, TN
    Vehicle:
    2018 Chevy Volt
    Model:
    Premium
    Poor Slob,
    If he'd done his homework, he'd find that our RX-400h Lexus hybrid gets better 1/4 mile times than the ICE version. That, and the fact that Europe & Asia cops don't need guzzlers to patrol their beat. BTW, how far did the cops have to chase Al Gore Jr's Prius (at over 100mph) before they finally caught him? :p

    Another BTW, the peak combined output of the hybrid LS 600h L is 483 horsepower, which can move the vehicle from 0 to 60 mph in a mere 5.5 seconds. Someone better wake Mr. Flatfoot up. oh well

    .
     
  5. sje333

    sje333 New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 19, 2007
    13
    0
    0
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    No car is low-technology. The simplicity of an electric motor would be great for harsh duties like pulling into 80-mph traffic from a dead stop.

    The Prius wouldn't make a bad highway patrol vehicle, but I would want something quicker for pulling into 80-mph traffic. A Crown Vic doesn't exactly fit that bill, though. An overpowered hybrid would be nice. Most of the time, highway patrol cars act as mobile offices (for filling out reports, running license plate checks, providing "slow-down" alerts at construction zones, etc). Why would anyone run a V8 engine to provide 165 Watts of electricity for the laptop? A hybrid that can power the electronics and AC while an officer is parked seems like a no-brainer.
     
  6. zenMachine

    zenMachine Just another Onionhead

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2007
    3,355
    300
    0
    Location:
    Texas
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    The state police recently purchased two hybrid Ford Escapes for support staff and has plans to buy as many as 10 more for its crime scene services unit. And supplies are transported from state police headquarters to the barracks via five natural gas Ford Econoline vans - but they can only fuel up at a select few natural gas pumps throughout the state...

    State police hit the gas on fuel-saving measures - BostonHerald.com
     
  7. donee

    donee New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2005
    2,956
    197
    0
    Location:
    Chicagoland
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Hi sje333,

    Yea, I agree with the Prius. Although its a good car for campus security. They use them as such in Dekalb, Illinois.

    The GS450H could easily do the pull into expressway traffic, however. Have you ever seen one of those things go ? Makes a Crown Vic look pitiful. Edmunds says the GS450h does 0-60 in 5.5 seconds. That car would make an ideal metropolitan area interceptor except for the times 4 price. The only performance down side would be sustained power, like up a mountain for 40 miles.
     
  8. abq sfr

    abq sfr New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 28, 2007
    690
    3
    0
    Location:
    Albuquerque, NM
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    I think a lot of people, including the officer from Montana, think of the word "hybrid" as "prius" and use the terms interchangeably. Many people don't even know other hybrid vehicles exist, except perhaps those GM trucks with fantastic gas mileage :confused: One reason the Fords are fantastic cop cars is that larger law enforcement agencies already have warehouses full of spare parts, in addition to full-time mechanics and full-time tow trucks with drivers. No only to disparage the Crown Vics reliability, but they do use them in ways we would never consider with our private cars, and many of them probably run continuously 24hrs a day every day of the year.
     
  9. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2005
    12,544
    2,123
    1
    Location:
    SF Bay Area, CA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    In all these caess, it'd be totally illogical for cash strapped governments to use expensive luxury vehicles not designed for police duty as police cars. The hybrid GS starts at $55K MSRP, RX at $41.5K and LS at ~$105K.

    Crown Vic police interceptors should have MSRPs of $25K to $32K.