Carmel Police Add Hybrid Vehicles To The Fleet

CARMEL, NY — The Carmel Police Department has added two Ford Police Interceptor Utility Hybrid vehicles to its fleet.

They're the first two hybrid patrol cars assigned to police duty in Putnam County, department officials said.

The Ford Police Interceptor Utility (the Ford Explorer in the civilian world) is one of the most popular police vehicles in America — and with the rising cost of gasoline, the gas-electric hybrid version has been growing in use.

"The Ford Utility/Explorer is one of the most visible police vehicles on the road today,” said
Carmel Police Chief Anthony Hoffmann. "It's well-known in the law enforcement field, and
with the addition of having a hybrid capability hopefully we can keep an eye on our fuel budget
while still providing a robust platform for our officers to serve the community."

The Ford Police Interceptor Utility Hybrid lists an increased 24MPG combined highway and city

compared with 17MPG for the former gasoline-only utility model. This increase alone has the
department hopeful that they can realize an estimated savings of $3,500 annually per vehicle.

Gas mileage isn’t the only benefit though as the hybrid electric motor will reduce engine idling
and wear and tear on usually rough-used police vehicles.

Carmel has had these patrol cars on order for over a year, with supply chain issues causing delays in delivery and equipment installation, department officials said. They are rolling out a marked and unmarked patrol vehicle to test their effectiveness in the different roles.