Oregon Police Go Electric

The police force in Sherwood, Oregon, is trying out a new all-electric cop car for a year. Sherwood’s EV of choice is the E-Z-Go with black and white po-po livery on its doors. An article in the Sherwood Gazette says that the department is leasing the car free of charge for a year. At the end of the year, the police department will decide if it wants to purchase the car for $14,500.

Where did the cops get this crazy idea? From the city manager, Jim Patterson. He has an E-Z-Go of his own that he uses to commute to work. The idea for the EV squad car is to save on gasoline costs for the city and reduce the environmental impact. There won’t be any high-speed chases in the E-Z-Go, but there could be some silent stealth missions on the agenda.

The drawback of the E-Z-Go that the Sherwood police are leasing is that it is, at heart, a golf cart. The company threw on some doors, and the police will be adding a light bar soon, but the casual observer is going to say, “Hey! That cop is driving a golf cart!” While the low-power cart will be great for community policing and undoubtedly better for the environment than a fully loaded squad car rolling slowly along city streets, the E-Z-Go doesn’t do much for the perception of electric vehicles as the cars of the future.

Regardless, big ups to Sherwood for taking a step in the right direction and giving an EV — even one with limited power and design sensibilities — a chance.

Image by Ray Pitz/Sherwood Gazette.