Michigan pilots first electric police vehicle

The Michigan State Police is piloting its first electric patrol vehicle, which hit the streets this week in Lansing.

“This is an exciting opportunity for us to research, in real time, how a battery electric vehicle performs on patrol,” said Col. James F. Grady II, director of the Michigan State Police.

This is just one part of the state’s wider move towards green energy, with many of the initiatives being a part of its Michigan Healthy Climate Plan.

One goal is to build out the state’s electric vehicle infrastructure to support “2 million EVs on Michigan roads by 2030.”

Aaron Viles, senior director of campaigns for the Electrification Coalition, told The Center Square there is “definitely more to do in order to meet the goal of 2 million EVs.” This includes more state investments into “EV policies that support ever-cleaner transportation fueling options” like electric school buses.

Currently, the first electric parole vehicle will be assigned to the State Security Operations Section to be used by state properties security officers as they parole state-owned and leased facilities in the Lansing area.

It’s unclear if this will eventually lead to a wider adoption of electric vehicles by the Michigan State Police, with Grady acknowledging some of the limitations that electric patrol vehicles might have.

“Our state properties security officers patrol a substantially smaller number of miles per day than our troopers and motor carrier officers, within city limits and at lower speeds,” he said. “Coupled with the availability of charging infrastructure in downtown Lansing, making this the ideal environment to test the capabilities of a police-package battery electric vehicle.”

The vehicle’s performance will be studied as a part of the state police’s Precision Driving Unit, which provides data for police nationwide.

“We began testing battery electric vehicles in 2022, but up until now hybrids were the only alternative fuel vehicle in our fleet,” said Lt. Nicholas Darlington, commander of the unit. “Adding this battery electric vehicle to our patrol fleet will allow us to study the vehicle’s performance long-term to determine if there is a potential for cost savings and broader applicability within our fleet.”