The police in Bern, Switzerland have introduced their first electric car as a patrol vehicle, in an effort to reduce costs and emissions.

Swiss police to use electric vehicles as regular patrol cars

The new fully electric cars will be used by the police in Canton Bern, joining several hundred electric vehicles used by the emergency services every day. The Audi e-tron 55 has a top speed of 190 kph and can go over 280 kilometres between charges. The Cantonal Police in Bern said the goal of the new cars was to provide “environmentally conscious, progressive mobility.” 

The move comes after the police force set targets to reduce the running costs of their patrol vehicles. This includes the introduction of “EVs” or electric vehicles into regular service. The police claimed that new EVs would be able to reduce the total cost of vehicles taxes, registration and price per kilometre by 10 percent by 2025.

Police working from home reduces vehicle running costs

Deputy Police Commander in Bern Stefan Lanzrein said the efforts to reduce running costs had been a success. He noted that “the trend towards working from home played into our hands," and that the move to remote working in Switzerland had benefited workers' salaries and running costs in the police force.

Bern has now joined Zurich, Basel, Lucerne and St. Gallen in using “e-patrol” vehicles. Alongside the new vehicles, the Bern police have also started to use hundreds of e-bikes to patrol the streets instead of driving. They hope that by using electric vehicles and alternate modes of transport, they will be able to reduce costs and protect the environment.