Another US state is taking steps to join the green car revolution – and this time it is the turn of Maryland to catch the environmentally friendly bug.
The Maryland Department of General Services has purchased a new T3 patrol unit for its police fleet in Annapolis. The patrol unit is a three-wheel electric personal mobility vehicle that can be used to assist the police as part of their “Capital City Safe Streets” programme.
The T3 is an energy efficient vehicle with zero emissions and that is capable of getting the equivalent of more than 500 miles per gallon. It costs about 10 cents a day to operate and police agencies estimate they will make annual savings of up to $30,000 compared to driving a petrol powered vehicle.
It is not the only green car in the police’s fleet. They also have a 100 per cent solar-charged, all-terrain vehicle – the energy-efficient Segway.
The Segway is also zero-emission and is recharged using electricity with an estimated cost of 13 cents a day. It can run for up to 12 hours when fully charged and is powered by a rooftop 185-watt photovoltaic solar panel that feeds the eight batteries.
Moving over to energy efficient vehicles would represent a series breakthrough for the Maryland Capital Police which provides law enforcement for 40 state buildings, 10 parking garages and 16 surface parking lots.
