West Midlands Police and Crime Commisioner David Jamieson has renewed the lease on 30 British-built electric police cars after they collectively saved £68,000 in fuel costs and tonnes of emissions.
Since being introduced in 2013, the existing fleet has covered 700,000 miles, saved 200 tonnes of CO2 emissions and have been charged at 32 points across 13 different locations across the West Midlands area.
The environmentally-friendly Nissan Leaf cars will be replaced with the newer model after they were found to save money and be friendlier to the environment.
The Leafs are used to transport officers to set appointments with members of the public rather than respond to 999 emergencies.
David Jamieson said: “Anything that helps us save money in the current climate is most welcome and I am pleased to approve this new lease.
“As well as being greener, the Nissan Leaf costs a fraction of the cost per mile to run compared to a diesel or petrol car.
“They have the added bonus of being British built in Sunderland and being much greener.”
Karl Anders, national EV manager at Nissan Motor, added: “More local authorities and public sector organisations across the UK are turning to Nissan’s market-leading electric vehicles to meet their fleet needs.
“Both the LEAF and e-NV200 can have a significant impact on reducing running and whole-life costs as well as well as helping organisations significantly cut their carbon emissions.”
