Vauxhall has demonstrated how an electric vehicle could play a contributing role in helping police forces tackle crime by 2015.
Kitted out with a raft of technology specially designed to fight crime, Vauxhall’s Ampera was shown off at the Police & Security Conference in Farnborough on 31 January on the Home Office’s Centre of Applied Science & Technology (CAST) stand after winning a competition run by The Association of Chief Police Officers Intelligent Transport Systems (ACPO ITS).
Reading a bit like the spec list of Batman’s Batmobile, the extravagant EV included:
- four external-mounted cameras for evidence gathering,
- an internal camera for facial recognition linked to the Police National Database,
- a display screen modified to provide Automatic Number Plate Recognition,
- a second screen mounted on the passenger sun visor to allow the passenger to access all Police information,
- and new Police software that has been loaded with previous incidents and historic data to predict potential crime hotspots.
Dick Ellam, Vauxhall’s Special Vehicles Manager said: “We are delighted to have won the ACPO ITS competition and are excited to have displayed the fittingly ground-breaking Ampera featuring this array of cutting-edge equipment.”
