NYPD Goes Green

May 5, 2009 by Miranda Marquit

Hybrid police cars for the NYPD.

(PhysOrg.com) -- New York City has a goal to reduce its overall carbon footprint. For Manhattan, the goal is to reduce greenhouse gases 30% by 2017. As part of this effort, the New York City Police Department just added 40 hybrid cars to its fleet. The Nissan Altima Hybrids are the first NYPD alternative fuel patrol cars, but they probably won't be the last. The NYPD plans to deploy at least 100 hybrids in total this year.

40 hybrid patrol cars obviously are not enough to cover all of New York City. However, the city has analyzed the precincts that are most likely to benefit from the hybrid police cars. These precincts include those with large areas of coverage, as well as precincts that may be smaller but sport a great deal of stop and go traffic. The idea is to maximize the benefit of the cars by putting them in areas where the positive environmental gains -- and the economic profit -- are most evident.

The City of New York actually has 3,300 hybrids in service (out of 26,000), but they are mostly assigned to departments that do not see a lot of public safety action: parks and rec, buildings and sanitation. The NYPD will be monitoring these patrol cars to make sure that they are safe and efficient. Hopes are that more hybrid patrol vehicles can be added in the future, helping the NYPD save money on gas. The cost of an Altima, at $25,391, is only a little more than the Crown Victoria ($24,875) and the Chevy Impala ($23,967) also used. As a result, it should be possible for the gas savings from the Altima to more than make up the difference.

Also interesting: The Nissan Altima Hybrids are actually made in the U.S.A. The Crown Victorias and Imapalas? Made in Canada.

More information: Red, Green and Blue.

© 2009 PhysOrg.com

• Velanarris - May 05, 2009
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  I have a feeling police chases will be down in NYC, but not because of the crime rate.
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• Lord_jag - May 05, 2009
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  Police should not be doing high speed chases. They are supposed to track as far as they can and radio ahead to other cops. There should be nowhere that the criminals can drive to that there isn`t a cop waiting.
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• Velanarris - May 05, 2009
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  Police should not be doing high speed chases. They are supposed to track as far as they can and radio ahead to other cops. There should be nowhere that the criminals can drive to that there isn`t a cop waiting.

  Andf they'll be able to stop that criminal ahead with what, a quarter ton of plastic and a rare earth metal LiIon battery?
  
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• earls - May 05, 2009
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  You got it. That's the only way to stop them.
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• Velanarris - May 05, 2009
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  You got it. That's the only way to stop them.

  
  I'm not saying it's the only way. But it's one of the few effective ones.
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• NeilFarbstein - May 06, 2009
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  Manhatten is one of the few places where cameras could be mounted to follow cars on the streets below.
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