Guilty as charged! Hyundai Kona EV for NSW Police
With “EV Cop” on the license plate and “Crime Prevention Unit” emblazoned on its nose, Penrith reprobates have the rare privilege of being busted by a zero-emissions Hyundai Kona Electric this year.
Deployed from Penrith Police Station in the Nepean Area Command, the NSW Police force will test the Kona Electric as part of a 12-month Hyundai sponsorship.
Running in near silence, sneaking up on crims will be a lot easier than in one of those rumbling old highway patrol Commodore V8s.
Dressed in its blue and red suit the small SUV certainly looks the part, and will be used in part for community engagement as well as the Crime Prevention Unit.
From Hyundai’s side, it says NSW Police has the opportunity to “experience the practicality, convenience, driveability and safety of a zero-emission vehicle over the course of their daily patrols.”
Before you get fears of local pursuits ending in embarrassing “Sorry, Chief, she ran out of battery” stories, the Kona Electric’s range of up to 449km should prove more than ample for the local beat. In fact, it should go “for several shifts on a single charge,” we’re assured.
Penrith Police Station has added an AC charger to its underground carpark, so overnight charging will ensure battery percentage is full before the morning shift begins.
Hyundai Australia boss Jun Heo said deploying a Kona Electric “gave the NSW Police Force and the public a terrific opportunity to experience the unique benefits of our long-range, zero-emission battery-electric SUV,” while Superintendent Chris Keane, Commander of Nepean Police Area Command, said the Kona was already “generating a lot of interest and comments when out in the community.”
Let’s hope the rangey Kona EV proves more successful than the Los Angeles Police Department’s debacle with its fleet of BMW i3 police cars.
It’s not the first time Aussies have had the chance to be nicked by an eco-friendly squad car. In 2019, Victoria Police bought a Tesla Model X Long Range for circa-$150,000, boasting a quoted range of around 575km and 0-100km/h time of 4.6-seconds.
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