Page 8 - Volume 28 Number 2

The Police Officers Journal
8 • SPRING 2018
Ford selling hybrid pursuit-rated sed
— Excerpted from Ford Motor Company and media reports
Ford Motor Company is taking orders for two hybrid law en- forcement vehicles and has brought the first-ever pursuit- rated pickup truck to market.
In April 2017, Ford revealed its 2019 Police Responder Hybrid Se- dan, the first pursuit-rated hybrid vehicle designed for urban or local patrol work, at the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters.
This hybrid concept car is part of Ford’s $4.5 billion global push for electrification.
In November, Ford introduced the Special Service Plug-In Hybrid Sedan, designed for police and fire chiefs, detectives, and other gov- ernment personnel whose jobs don’t require a pursuit-rated vehicle.
“This is the first Ford police vehicle that can potentially get through an entire shift using no gasoline whatsoever,” said Stephen Tyler, Ford police brand marketing manager in a governmentfleet.com ar- ticle. “Anyone can plug this in to any wall outlet to run gas and emissions-free on battery-only operation.”
Available for sale this spring is the 2018 Ford F-150 Police Re- sponderTM, designed with nearly seven decades of experience spent on the road with American law enforcement. But this vehicle isn’t limited to roadwork. It has FX4 off-road capability including a pur- pose-tuned suspension, electronic-locking rear axle and underbody skid plates. The brakes have been upgraded from the consumer F-150, and police-pursuit calibrated.
The interior of all three vehicles features heavy-duty cloth front seats with slim or reduced bolsters for those wearing duty belts, rear anti-stab plates and vinyl rear seating and flooring for easy cleanup.
vEHiCLE tEStiNG
Testing by the Michigan State Police confirms Ford is first to offer law enforcement agencies a pursuit-rated hybrid police car and full- size pickup truck. The Ford Police Responder Hybrid Sedan and F-150 Police Responder successfully completed rigorous testing conducted by Michigan State Police and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Depart- ment. Ford tested the Police Responder Hybrid to ensure it handles
Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Company
Ford’s F-150 Police Responder has off-road capabilities and is the first- ever pursuit rated truck.
police pursuits for longer periods at different speeds and over ob- stacles such as curbs and flooded intersections.
SPECiAL SERviCE PLuG-iN HYBRiD SEDAN
The 2019 Special Service Plug-In Hybrid Sedan can drive up to 21 miles on electricity. The onboard charger allows agencies to fully charge the 7.6-kW-hour battery in 2.5 hours on a 240-volt, Level 2 charger. However, most agencies won’t need more than a regular
120-volt wall outlet to recharge, according to Ford. The lithium-ion battery can move the vehicle up to 85 mph on battery power alone. Once the battery runs down, the vehicle is powered by its gasoline- electric hybrid powerplant for up to 500 plus miles.
The interior features a reinforced top tray for mounting equipment, metal console mounting plate, red and white task lighting in the overhead console, police engine-idle feature, alloy wheels, and an auxiliary power distribution box in the trunk. Options include: a driver spot lamp, trunk storage vault, trunk ventilation system, and a rear door control-disabling feature. Available for sale this summer, the plug-in has a dark-car feature which allows the dash to be dimmed 100% for surveillance.
POLiCE RESPONDER HYBRiD SEDAN
“Our new Fusion-based Police Responder Hybrid Sedan is quicker than our legendary V8-powered Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, while offering fuel efficiency that’s estimated to be double that,” Tyler said.
Pursuit mode kicks in when an officer floors the accelerator, said Allen Magolan, Ford’s police vehicle engineering manager, in a po- licemag.com article. Ford uses a continuously variable transmission (CVT) so the sedan won’t downshift to a lower gear in a turn and lose momentum. “The CVT is best because it’s able to adjust based on the vehicle’s speed, engine speed, and cornering,” Magolan said.
“When the vehicle is driven hard, it would use both the gas motor and the e-motor. And when you’re off the gas, or braking, it would regenerate as much as possible so that it would build the charge back up.”
The front-wheel-drive is based on a Fusion design, but calibrated specifically for police use, said Tony Gratson, national government sales manager for Ford, in the policemag.com article. “When the officer goes into his pursuit, it will provide max power,” Gratson said.
“The engines work together. There will be times when you’re running gasoline and electric or electric only. And, at idle, the vehicle will be able to save fuel.”
It is projected to get an EPA-estimated 38 mpg combined (40 mpg city/36 mpg highway), which Ford says is more than double the EPA- estimated rating of 18 mpg combined for the 3.7L Police Interceptor AWD gasoline sedan. The Responder reduces fuel consumption when idling by using the lithium-ion hybrid battery to power its electrical load. The Responder can save 1,550 gallons of gasoline per year,