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The only purpose-built police EV in America offers serious advantages over a traditional internal-combustion squad car. 

Zoom in: Plenty of towns and cities — including my community in Rhode Island — are using or exploring electric police cars.

They can idle for hours at a speed trap or emergency scene, consuming barely a sliver of the battery. 

They accelerate like drag racers, enabling quick overtakes of speeding drivers.

Their motors (usually) require less maintenance than an internal-combustion engine.

Some can use their batteries to supply electricity to a building during a power outage.

Yes, but: Converting a civilian car for police work comes with significant trade-offs, from back seats too small to accommodate a cage for arrestees to wheels and brakes unsuited for intense daily driving. 

Driving the news: GM in late 2024 began delivering its electric Police Pursuit Vehicle, adapted from Chevy's low-cost Blazer electric SUV, 

The car remains the only electric police car in the country. And despite a broad slowdown in EV sales in the U.S., the automaker is keeping the model around.

"A lot of local governments want to improve their environmental footprint, and they can save a lot in the total cost of ownership," George Jones, product marketing manager at GM, tells Axios Pro.

Reality check: The EVs aren't a fit for highway patrol, which requires much more driving.

GM meanwhile declined to disclose sales figures. But it emphasized that it remains committed to its EV police car. 

"We're not abandoning our EV strategy; EVs are the endgame," GM product marketing manager George Jones says.

The intrigue: GM's strategy contrasts with Ford's, which offers hybrid police vehicles — but no electrics.

The GM rival was the first to follow Tesla in designing desirable EVs for mainstream drivers, not just environmentalists: first the sporty Mustang Mach-E SUV, then the bulky F-150 Lightning pickup.

Ford offered police trims of both EV models. But the web page for the law enforcement version of the Mach-E now redirects to the F-150 Lightning — and that vehicle is now being discontinued, leaving only hybrid or conventional internal-combustion police vehicles.

What they're saying: "We have a police advisory board that meets quarterly or more to ensure we have a pipeline of real-world feedback to inform our future product," Ford spokesperson Elizabeth Kraft tells Axios Pro, adding the automaker holds over 50% of the police vehicle market. 

What we're watching: We'll see if GM remains as committed to EVs as it says it is.

U.S. cities are experimenting with electric police cars

The only purpose-built police EV in America offers serious advantages over a traditional internal-combustion squad car.

Front-left view of a Chevy Police Pursuit Vehicle SUV in black-and-white livery, with a push bar, roof light bar, and POLICE on the side, parked in a lot with a chain-link fence and cloudy sky.

Chevy's electric Police Pursuit Vehicle is based on the automaker's Blazer EV. Photo: Alan Neuhauser/Axios

The only purpose-built police EV in America offers serious advantages over a traditional internal-combustion squad car. Zoom in: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Plenty" data-vars-click-url="https://apnews.com/article/tesla-police-fleet-electric-vehicles-california-59667e9ead54727ba01be83f972a23bd" data-vars-content-id="95804728-7a65-4e3c-8555-e72525f64514" data-vars-headline="U.S. cities are experimenting with electric police cars" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://apnews.com/article/tesla-police-fleet-electric-vehicles-california-59667e9ead54727ba01be83f972a23bd" target="_blank">Plenty</a> of towns and cities — <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="including my community" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/pro/climate-deals/2023/11/29/ford-f150-llghtning-ev-police-car-barrington-ri" data-vars-content-id="95804728-7a65-4e3c-8555-e72525f64514" data-vars-headline="U.S. cities are experimenting with electric police cars" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/pro/climate-deals/2023/11/29/ford-f150-llghtning-ev-police-car-barrington-ri" target="_self">including my community</a> in Rhode Island — are using or exploring electric police cars.

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U.S. cities are experimenting with electric police cars

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