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The solution? Hybrid police vehicles. Where are new hybrid police vehicles taking root? How do these hybrid police vehicles work and what sets them apart from traditional Crown Victoria police cars?
Where Hybrid Police Vehicles Are Employed
Aspen, CO: Following a bold move by a police department in Lindsay, CA, Police Chief Richard Pryor of the Aspen police replaced all the department's Volvo cruisers with 10 new hybrid police vehicles. “Converting to hybrids,” Pryor said, “is the next radical yet logical step in the face of concerns over global warming and skyrocketing gas prices.” He predicts that the move will not only spare the environment an estimated 20 tons of carbon emissions, but the new vehicles save 2,000 gallons of gas (or about $7,000 in fuel) annually.
DeKalb, IL: Hybrid cars are not only limited to city and county police departments, but also in use by university police. Northern Illinois University Department of Public Safety made the switch to hybrid police vehicles early on in hybrid technology's development. “From the very start, these cars have done everything that we have asked of them, everything that we have needed. They have proven themselves the perfect tool for the job,” says NIU Police Chief Don Grady. The compact nature of the hybrid makes it convenient for police officers to access previously unreachable areas during patrols and chases.
Seattle, WA: Ford Escape, Toyota Camry, and Toyota Prius have joined Seattle's fight against crime. Why? Gasoline prices have been rocking unsteadily for some time now. Hybrids can reach rates of 50 miles per gallon. "They get better gas mileage in the city than they do on long trips. And most of our detectives do most of their work in the city,” said Bob Miller, fleet analyst for Seattle police.
How A Hybrid Works: The Gas And Electric Compromise
A hybrid car (also available as an SUV) essentially utilizes the best elements of gas and electricity powered cars. A gas powered car supplies gasoline via fuel tank to the engine, which turns the transmission, which controls the vehicle's wheels. An electric car uses a battery to power an electric motor, which by extension, sets off the transmission and wheels. A hybrid combines the best elements of both systems to create a more efficient, cost effective solution for officers in the field. The hybrid police vehicle uses a gasoline engine to start an electric motor. The car then switches off between the two, depending on the circumstances of use.
A Cost Effective Advantage: Regenerative Braking
One advantage of a hybrid police vehicle is this unique mesh of gasoline and electric components. During high-speed highway patrol, the hybrid police vehicle uses the gasoline engine to power the car. While monitoring heavy morning traffic, one is constantly applying the brakes on and off again. Large amounts of energy are lost in the form of heat. A hybrid police vehicle “catches” this energy by utilizing the electric motor as a generator, conserving, and transferring energy to recharge batteries. This is referred to as “regenerative braking.” When pressure is lifted from the brake pedal, the car immediately revs up.
A Cost Effective Advantage: Advanced Aerodynamics
As one drives on the highway, the engine expends most of its effort pushing the car past waves of air – wind. The force the wind exerts on the car is known as “aerodynamic drag.” To reduce this drag on the car, which affects fuel consumption, efficiency, and speed, new hybrid police vehicles including the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight have reduced the frontal area of the hybrid police vehicle. This way, much like the design of an airplane, the air splits around the front of the car. Also, hybrid police vehicles can limit drag by removing unnecessary objects that stick out from the car and “catch” the wind, such as wheel housing and mirrors. Another penny-pinching tactic is to opt for different tires. Most tires are formulated for a smooth, noiseless ride that is also effective in all four seasons. But tires can also “pull” at the road, slowing down a traditional police car. Hybrid police vehicles, however, use non-conventional tires. These tires inflate to a higher pressure, remaining stiffer, and therefore reducing contact with the road. The use of lightweight materials such as aluminum, magnesium, and carbon fiber scale back the overall weight of the car, providing yet again less friction against the road.
A Cost Effective Advantage: Less Oil, Less Pollution
Oil provides 97 percent of the fuel used by trains, planes, ships, and automobiles. Oil, and by extension, fuel, is a non-renewable resource. America is full of gas-guzzling cars barreling toward the day when one must finally admit that fossil fuels are finite and the impact of exhaust on the world is quantifiable. Hybrid police vehicles release less pollution into the air via exhaust pipes than other cars. This, of course, is because of lower fuel consumption, compliments of the electric motor and battery. Some hybrid developers such as Toyota and Audi are exploring solar paneling as an alternate energy source. Another environmentally friendly development is known as exhaust heat recovery and recirculation systems. This technology attempts to use the heat from the exhaust to warm the engine, and heat the inside of the hybrid police vehicle in winter. Stopping at a stoplight switches off the hybrid police vehicle's gasoline engine completely, eliminating all emissions until the driver has passed the 25 mph mark. At this point, the engine switches back on.
Further Resources
Two very good places to look for more information is the all-purpose website <www.howstuffworks.com>. This provides excellent summaries of all mechanical features of the hybrid police vehicles. Here is a specific link to the Idle-Stop system used in hybrid cars: <http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/hybrid-technology/idle-stop-system.htm>. Another top notch website is <www.hybridcars.com>. They provide current news and shopping tips on every type of hybrid imaginable. Their easy-to-understand diagrams help streamline information pertaining to all things economically minded, including information on how to obtain a tax write-up for purchasing a hybrid vehicle. A website with information specific to hybrid police vehicles is located at <http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/f33/toyota-hybrid-police-cars-long-article-5667/>. One final site is found at <http://hybridcar123.com/hybrid-cars-review>. They walk through several different types of hybrid cars, with fact sheets for each hybrid.
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