What charge? Police get new hybrid cars but no power point
Officers in Newham were spotted trailing cables across the yard of a police station to charge their vehicles
Police in London were given new hybrid-electric cars – even though they didn’t have anywhere to charge them.
The BMW i3 squad cars were added to the service’s fleet in Newham, where none of the police stations are equipped with electric vehicle chargers.
A confidential source told the Press Association that the cars were spotted outside one of the borough’s police stations, with cables being trailed from inside the building, across the yard and out to the vehicles.
To make matters worse, officers were forced to cover the cables with umbrellas when it rained to stop them getting wet.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed this was true and said the incident was being reviewed, with the i3s now temporarily in a borough that could charge them.
A spokeswoman added that all police vehicles were issued with user manuals and safety guidance, and that officers were given public charge cards so that they could recharge their police EVs around London.
She told PA: “Procurement of all vehicles for the Metropolitan Police Service is carried out by Fleet Services in close association with operational units.
“The MPS upholds a strong health and safety culture. Therefore, with the deployment of any new vehicles, Fleet Services will issue user manuals and strict guidance specifically highlighting the safety features for the vehicle’s safe operation.
“The issue of two BMW i3s to Newham borough was delivered in the same way. Although the charging infrastructure is not at this time in Newham, the BMW i3 is a plug-in hybrid, meaning that while it can run on the electric battery, it also contains a petrol range-extending engine.
“In this regard, the vehicle is still operational if not charged. In addition, all vehicles that have charging capability, including i3s, are issued with public charge cards so users have the ability to charge the vehicle throughout London via public charging sites.
“Fleet Services continues to promote the safe use of all its vehicles, and therefore when this matter was brought to their attention, the incident was recorded and immediate action was taken. While the incident is being reviewed, the vehicles have been redeployed to another borough with charging infrastructure in place.”
