All-electric BMW on the beat

New Zealand Police is putting five fully electric BMW i4s on trial in its frontline fleet over the next six months as part of its programme to reduce carbon emissions.

Five of the BMW models will be put through their paces at five locations and will initially be used for road policing as part of an operational electric vehicle (EV) trial.

Testing will start in Waikato before the vehicles are also deployed to Counties Manukau, Central Districts, Christchurch and Dunedin, with EV chargers being installed at each of those locations.

The spread of locations will allow the force to assess how the cars perform on different road conditions and in different temperatures.

Police note the BMW i4 can accelerate from 0-100kph in 5.7 seconds and has a battery range of up to 590km. Drivers have undertaken specific EV driver training as it is the heaviest and highest-performance car within the fleet.

The project is being supported with $1.7 million in co-funding from the State Sector Decarbonisation Fund, administered by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA).

If the cars prove successful, it will allow police to consider options for EVs to be deployed into other suitable areas of its fleet.

This trial is part of a wider fleet electrification project that is introducing 45 EVs into the overall NZ Police fleet along with associated charging infrastructure. The expectation is this will cut its carbon emissions by about 176.1 tonnes annually.

Police Commissioner Andrew Coster says the BMW i4 represents an important commitment to reducing emissions.

“Police vehicles are fundamental to our ability to serve the public and provide safer communities across New Zealand,” he adds. 

“We are proud to take these new steps seeking to reduce transport-related emissions while keeping New Zealanders safe.”