FOI reveals only two on duty electric police cars have run out of power

Electric police cars have only run out of power twice while on duty in Gloucestershire over the last three years, a freedom of information request has revealed.

Gloucestershire Police and Crime Commissioner Chris Nelson raised concerns about the operational capability of electric vehicles last month.

He said at the time that he heard of “lots of stories” of on duty police officers who drive electric vehicles who struggle to find recharging facilities in the county. He also said the vehicles “run out of puff” and need to get another police car.

“We have the largest fleet by percentage size. That has brought its problems,” he told the police and crime panel on July 1.

“The design options available for electric vehicles for operational uses are not perhaps as advanced as I would like them to be.

“I’d like to see more operational choice so that, for instance, if an officer is out in a rural area on a road traffic accident and his lights are one, his radio is on, his heater is on, I wouldn’t want him to run out of power for all of those different facilities, simply because he or she is in

“I’ve heard lots of problems with officers driving around in electric vehicles having problems trying to find recharging facilities. Running out of puff and then having to get another vehicle.”

The Local Democracy Reporting Service has since submitted an FOI request to Gloucestershire Constabulary that reveals the force has two recorded instances of EV vehicles running out of power. One in 2019 and another in 2021.

Neither were in an emergency situation as the force says the electric vehicles are not authorised to respond to emergency incidents.

The vehicles are used by officers, staff and volunteers to move within and outside the force area to complete enquiries or travel to other locations.

Cheltenham Borough Councillor Max Wilkinson (LD, Oakley) called on the commissioner to clarify his comments.

He said the comments were being used to feed into a narrative that is often seized upon by climate change deniers to argue against a switch to electric vehicles.

Cllr Wilkinson said: “At best, this is a case of a politician misspeaking or using inexact language. At worst, it looks like an attempt to undermine the argument for switching away from petrol and diesel vehicles – a much-needed step in the battle against the climate crisis.”

Mr Nelson says his comments were “undoubtedly misunderstood and in some places taken out of context”.

He says he fully supports the battle against climate change and the national move towards greater use of electric vehicles.

“As has been clarified subsequently, Gloucestershire Constabulary’s range of electric vehicles are never used for emergency response but are used operationally on a daily basis for general enquiries. Perhaps that has been the cause for confusion.

“My response to a specific question from a panel member was based on anecdotal evidence, which has now been clarified.

“What cannot be disputed is a report in which The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) commends the environmental work of Gloucestershire OPCC and Constabulary, declaring that PCCs are ‘at the heart of the decarbonisation agenda’.

“Climate change is an important issue for the British public, giving PCCs a strong mandate as the public’s voice to ensure that policing is striving to meet its challenges and taking the steps to mitigate the risks that it poses.

“The APCC report, published on August 2, highlights the work of Gloucestershire Constabulary, to establish the largest percentage of electric vehicles in its fleet in the country; run efficient buildings which reduce the Force’s carbon footprint; its work towards going Net Zero by 2035; and maintaining its ISO 14001 certification – the only police force to hold such an accolade.

“My focus, as ever, remains on fighting crime, maintaining our exceptional EV investment in supporting the environment and fighting climate change, and actually increasing our investment in reducing our building energy consumption through government grants.”

By Carmelo Garcia – Local Democracy Reporter

Gloucester News Centre – http://gloucesternewscentre.co.uk