Allen debuted the first of two pursuit-rated hybrid police vehicles this summer. The vehicles are 2020 Ford Police Interceptor Utilities (much like the Explorer) and were approved by City Council for purchase this budget year.
The new vehicles are completely marked and outfitted for patrol use. Because these handle differently from conventional non-hybrid police vehicles, each Allen officer received training on how to operate them.
According to Ford’s calculations, the introduction of these two vehicles will save the City approximately $2,132 in fuel costs and decrease carbon dioxide emissions by 21,057 pounds per vehicle, per year. Each hybrid vehicle is approximately $3,500 more expensive than a comparable non-hybrid vehicle.
The department will evaluate the performance and maintenance costs over time to determine the feasibility of expanding the use of hybrid vehicles in the patrol fleet.