(Philadelphia, October 3, 2016) – Mayor Kenney and Deputy Police Commissioner Christine Coulter today unveiled the first plug-in hybrid vehicles that are assigned to the Police Department, as part of the City’s continuing effort to make its fleet more energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly.

“I am committed to modernizing this government,” said Mayor Kenney, “particularly the equipment and resources available to the men and women of the Philadelphia Police Department. What we are showing today is an important step in a larger effort to expand the city fleet of alternatively fueled vehicles and equipment over the next few years.”

On display were new Ford Fusion Energis — a standard gasoline Hybrid with plug-in capability. On a full charge they will travel 22 miles before the gasoline engine kicks in, and they can get up to the equivalent of 97 miles per gallon.

Four Ford Fusion Energies are now on order for the Police Department and eventually each District will be assigned one, to be used as a community relations vehicle.  By January, the City will have 17 plug in hybrids in use, including a total of 8 for Police and 4 for Streets for use in their Sanitation Enforcement Division.

“I’m thrilled to see these new vehicles assigned to our Districts, where community outreach is so vital,” said Deputy Commissioner Coulter.  “The fact that the cars are energy efficient is also vital, since our Department’s, and the City’s, resources are always stretched thin.  This is a great addition to our fleet.”

The announcement took place at the Police Department’s 6^th District, where a charging station has been installed to power the new plug-in hybrids.  Charging stations are also planned for all Districts where the plug-in hybrids will be assigned.

“This really is just the beginning of the City’s expansion of our hybrid fleet, which currently includes about 200 standard hybrid vehicles and 3 plug in hybrids in use in other departments in the City,” said Chief Administration Officer Rebecca Rhynhart, who is overseeing the modernization of multiple areas of the city government.  “We have electric Zambonis in Parks & Rec, electric motorcycles in the Fire Department, and we’ll be ordering waste haulers that run on compressed natural gas.  So there is much more to come.”

The City has reduced the total amount of vehicles in its fleet by 542 since 2003, replacing many vehicles with car share accounts. These efforts have helped improve air quality and reduce energy costs. Fleet also has been using biodiesel in various blends for several years and has placed exhaust after treatment filters on all older diesel powered vehicles. And the expanded use of hybrids can reduce air pollution that can harm public health and contribute to climate change.