This is what a Vauxhall Ampera patrol car would look like if the UK police were to use the Chevrolet Volt’s European cousin for its daily services.
Vauxhall displayed the Ampera in Police livery featuring the latest policing equipment on the Home Office’s Centre of Applied Science & Technology (CAST) stand at the Police & Security Conference after it won a competition run by the Association of Chief Police Officers Intelligent Transport Systems (ACPO ITS).
The competition’s goal is to bring an electric vehicle into active Police service by 2015.
The plug-in model is equipped with high-tech gear including an internal camera for facial recognition linked to the Police National Database, two special screens providing all sorts of information such as the license plate recognition data, and new software that is loaded with previous incidents and historic data that is run through algorithms to predict potential crime hotspots.
“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,” said Dick Ellam, Vauxhall Special Vehicles Manager.
