Gloucestershire Constabulary has taken delivery of 75 Electric vehicles from Nissan, making 21% of its fleet zero-emissions and reducing its CO₂ output by more than 190 tonnes a year.

The vehicles include a total of 66 Nissan LEAFs, of which 11 will be marked vehicles, and nine e-NV200s. The force has estimated that the saving in fuel and maintenance will equate to £136,000 a year.

Gloucestershire police has experience with a smaller fleet of Nissan LEAFs, starting with the first generation in 2016 and the second in 2018. Its use of the cars is part of a five-year plan from Gloucestershire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Martin Surl to create ‘A Green and Pleasant County’, and ensure that Gloucestershire Constabulary operates in a way which is as responsible and sustainable as possible.

Surl commented:

“The purchase of these new vehicles is a huge step forward for the Constabulary to reduce its carbon and pollution, and meets part of my commitment to ‘A Green and Pleasant County’ that was outlined in my Police and Crime Plan. It’s a journey we’ve been on for five years and is part of a long-term commitment by my office to ensure our environment is considered at every opportunity.

The new fleet will save a considerable amount of CO₂ and money, giving Gloucestershire a larger percentage of fully-electric vehicles in its fleet than any other force. I hope the constabulary will be able to build on this great work, and extend its electric fleet to 40 per cent within the next four years.”

Gloucestershire Constabulary uses 7kW charges at its campus to charge the vehicles overnight. The Nissan LEAF e+ is able to travel up to 239 miles on one charge, while the e-NV200 is capable of up to 187 miles.

As well as the money and emissions savings, the vehicles require less servicing than combustion-engined equivalents so the force benefits from reduced off-the-road time. For example, the fleet of 16-plate Nissan LEAF models have only required one set of brake pads across them all, as the regenerative braking system means reduced wear on brake pads or brake discs.

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