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NYPD To Replace Motor Fleet With Electric Scooters

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the stop-or-I'll-beep dept.

XueCast writes "A few days ago, the New York Police Department, one of the largest police forces in the US, announced that they are planning to make New York greener by replacing their gasoline motorcycle fleet with the super-quiet and energy efficient electric scooters from Vectrix. NYPD said that they will first road test four electric scooters from the Rhode Island-based electric vehicle manufacturer next month, and if the road test is a success, NYPD said that they plan to order more electric scooters from Vectrix to replace their less-than-green motorcycle fleet."

5 of 235 comments (clear)

  1. Re:misleading title by PortWineBoy · · Score: 4, Informative

    Well the blog and the headline are all screwy...this is a trial, and they are not thinking about replacing their motorcycle fleet, but their gas scooter fleet. They have a ton of those things. original source (new window)

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  2. Re:Environmental cost by VirexEye · · Score: 4, Informative
    The problem is not that motorcycles are not very efficient mpg wise, it's that they don't have catalytic converters. Even though they are very fuel efficient, they still manage to produce more toxins into the atmosphere than cars.

    It's generally not considered a huge deal since the ratio of motorcycles to cars on the road is rather low, but if a fleet of bikes can be replaced, it might make a difference.

  3. Re:Pull over.... pretty please! by h4rm0ny · · Score: 3, Informative


    Maybe they should use pedal bikes. Quite a few UK police forces tried equipping their police officers with bicycles which seemed quite effective. No-one could get away from them on foot but it didn't stop them from going through pedestrian areas. And they were certainly more approachable than police officers in cars or on motorbikes.

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    Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
  4. Re:Environmental cost by dltaylor · · Score: 5, Informative

    New bikes DO have catalytic converters.

    Check the "ENGINE" tab here. for example:

    http://www.ducati.com/od/ducatinorthamerica/en/bikes/model.jhtml?model=2390

  5. Re:Stupid by Mishra100 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Motorcycle police aren't there for high speed chases. It is too dangerous to the officer to do any kind of chase due to the instant death any wreck would bring.

    Getting around in New York is slow and takes a lot of corners so the specs on the bike seem to be on target to the top speed they would get on a regular motorcycle in that huge city. I think their testing will prove that the bikes will be just fine for the job.