Last year the Metropolitan Police’s vehicle technicians began training to work on electric and hybrid vehicles. All completed their EV Level 3 courses, so that the MET could work towards reducing emissions.
Now, in 2019, the MET have over 300 electric and hybrid vehicles in their fleet. In Scotland, officers are focusing on a ‘Switched On Fleets’ initiative. The initiative aims to highlight opportunities to use more electric vehicles, without spending a fortune.
A Nationwide Electric Fleet
“We’ve got some fully electric vehicles at the moment, spread across the country in different roles. The plan is to get a proper plan together and bring them in as a sustainable alternative to what we are currently using in fossil fuel vehicles” – Stewart Taylor, Fleet Manager for Scotland’s MET.
Although the vehicles are currently only charged on site, the MET are working with local councils in order to increase the charging infrastructure all over the UK. There is, however, one critical teething problem…
Battling With Batteries
As all-electric vehicles reply on battery power, day-to-day use for police officers will be impacted. For example, the police will often keep their headlights on when stopping at the scene of an incident. This will need to be taken into consideration when introducing these vehicles into the MET.
Despite this issue, there are still a multitude of benefits to forces across the UK adopting these vehicles. The introduction of low emission zones will mean the force will be aligned with various clean air commitments. They also plan to phase out petrol and diesel cars by 2032.
“A good fleet strategy has to strike the balance between what is achievable within the financial constraints of the business and what is the optimum operating policy of a fleet of our size and diversity.” – Stewart Taylor, Fleet Manager for Scotland’s MET.
Are You Prepared For Electric Vehicles?
In 2018 there were a total of 141,234 electric and hybrid vehicles newly registered in the UK. This is a 20.9% increase from 2017, with a forecast of over 180,000 new registrations by the end of 2019.
With a rise in electric vehicles comes a need for specialist training. Mechanics across the UK need to ensure they are prepared for the change, that’s why we offer a range of courses to suit your needs.
We have a half day course for basic awareness, which caters to groups up to 20. We also have full day courses for more experienced technicians, where you will gain a Level 3 Award in Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Operations from City & Guilds.
Find out more about EINTAC and what we have to offer by getting in touch. Call us on 01376 525606 or email us at sales@eintac.com.