HK police to go green with electric patrol cars

Shanghai, July 27 (Gasgoo.com) Hong Kong will become the second place in the world after Japan to use electric police patrol cars when the first batch comes into service later this year, a local media report said today.

Japanese carmaker Mitsubishi Motor will initially deliver 10 of its four-door iMiEV cars to the Chinese territory's government with three designated for police use, the South China Morning Post newspaper said. The others will be used by government agencies.

The car, which has zero emissions by using a lithium-ion battery and an electric motor, has a top speed of 130 km/h and can travel 160 km/h after an eight-hour charge using a household plug. Fuel costs would be cut by around 66% compared with petrol vehicles.

Police senior inspector Joe Li Tung-cheung said the ultimate aim was to replace up to 500 petrol-driven patrol cars with electric vehicles, although they would not be used as fast-response vehicles.

"The test drives have been very satisfactory and we are confident that its performance will be on par with (petrol) patrol cars," he said, adding that electric cars have advantages on islands, where no petrol stations are available.'

Police in China's mainland also use electricity-powered golf carts, complete with emergency flashing lights, in areas where access by conventional vehicle would be difficult.

In Japan, the electric patrol cars are used around Yokohama and other parts of Kanagawa prefecture, the newspaper said.