NYPD Blue Goes Green: Police Department Buys Hybrid Patrol Cars

photo: Edward Reed

Here's another one of those things that got lost in last week's all swine flu all the time shuffle: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the police department has added 40 hybrid patrol cars to the fleet:Hybrids Get Double the Mileage of Regular Patrol CarsAccording to the Mayor's Office, the Nissan Altimas (18 of which are marked police cars and 22 unmarked) will be assigned to areas in all five burroughs where the improved fuel economy of the hybrids can be best optimized: Areas with large patrol areas and those with lots of stop and go driving.

Though the Altima frankly doesn't get exceptional gas mileage, only about 35 miles to the gallon, they do get double the mileage of the NYPD's regular patrol cars.

12% of City-Owned Vehicles HybridsIf you're thinking that 40 cars really doesn't sound like that many, in comparison to all of the patrol cars in the city, you're right: The NYPD currently has about 8,800 patrol cars. But it is a step in the right direction for the police department.

New York City already has some 3,300 hybrids in its fleet of 26,000 city-owned vehicles.

via: NYC.gov, Red Blue and GreenHybrid CarsNew York City's Hybrid Taxi Mandate Faces Legal SetbackUS Hybrid Car Sales in March... Not Good At AllHybrid-Electric Cars: How They Work, Battery Technology, and More