75 Nissan LEAFs added to Gloucestershire Constabulary fleet

Gloucestershire Constabulary has taken delivery of 75 electric LEAFs from Nissan, making 21 per cent of its fleet electric.

The vehicles include a total of 66 Nissan LEAFs, of which 11 will be marked vehicles, and nine e-NV200s. The force has estimated that the saving in fuel and maintenance will equate to £136,000 a year.

Gloucestershire police has experience with a smaller fleet of Nissan LEAFs, starting with the first generation in 2016 and the second in 2018. Its use of the cars is part of a five-year plan from Gloucestershire’s Police and Crime Commissioner 

Martin Surl said: “The purchase of these new vehicles is a huge step forward for the Constabulary to reduce its carbon and pollution, and meets part of my commitment to ‘A Green and Pleasant County’ that was outlined in my Police and Crime Plan. It’s a journey we’ve been on for five years and is part of a long-term commitment by my office to ensure our environment is considered at every opportunity.

“The new fleet will save a considerable amount of CO₂ and money, giving Gloucestershire a larger percentage of fully-electric vehicles in its fleet than any other force. I hope the constabulary will be able to build on this great work, and extend its electric fleet to 40 per cent within the next four years.”

Head of Transport Services for Gloucestershire Constabulary Steve Imm said: “We conducted a big fleet review of what we could replace with EVs, which led us to the figure of 21%. In two years we’ve managed that, and in four years we’re looking to make it around 40% if the technology allows it and it’s a viable option.

“There are lots of departments in the police that are either policed by staff members or the CID for example. They’re not working 24/7, they’re working core hours across shift patterns, and they’re driving an average of 70 miles a day so we know that 180 miles will do what we need them to do.”

Gloucestershire Constabulary uses 7kW charges at its campus to charge the vehicles overnight. The Nissan LEAF e+ is able to travel up to 239 miles on one charge, while the e-NV200 is capable of up to 187 miles.