Thanks to a grant from the Maryland Energy Administration, the Hyattsville City Police Department in Maryland has added a Chevrolet Bolt EV and zero electric motorcycle to its police fleet, along with two DC-fast charging stations which can be used by both the police and public. The Chevy Bolt is smaller than the typical police vehicles Hyattsville uses, so law enforcement needed to make some innovative changes to ensure that all necessary components were included.
Hyattsville is one of a growing number of municipalities across the United States that have been adding EVs to their police forces. Sergeant Richard Hartnett from Hyattsville notes that his department is one of the first to use an EV for traditional patrol, as many other cities only use EVs for short-range purposes. Hartnett is pleased that longer-range EVs now exist at cheaper prices so that more police forces can use them, and has even begun promoting the Chevy Bolt to other cities’ law enforcement.