Right Lane Cruiser
07-30-2009, 06:56 AM
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AmericanFlag.jpg At $25,391 per car, the hybrids cost about $1,500 more than standard patrol vehicles. (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/nyregion/30hybrid.html)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2009_Nissan_Altima_Hybrid1.jpgChristine Hauser - NYTIMES (http://www.nytimes.com) - July 29, 2009
I'm glad to see that the vehicles haven't been dismissed out of hand purely because of seating. --Ed.
The Police Department’s new hybrid patrol cars are environmentally friendly, but for some officers, they are a pain in the hip.
Officers in all five boroughs have been testing out 58 hybrid Nissan Altimas in a pilot program to deploy the cars, which run on a lower-cost gasoline-fueled engine and electric motor.
But about three months into the trial, the department has discovered a problem. The officers, bulky with equipment belts that include a holstered Smith & Wesson, do not fit comfortably in the car’s seats, which curl up around the edges. The gun is not in danger of popping out of its holster and discharging accidentally, but the design makes for a clumsy ride, officials said.
When an officer exits the car, the handle of the two-pound weapon presses into the hip and then drags across the edges of the seat, officials said. The department’s solution is to outfit the hybrids with flatter seats and lower the console between the driver and front passenger.
Those modifications and others, like covering the back seats with easy-to-clean vinyl, will cost about $1,100 per vehicle, according to Albert Becker, a deputy inspector and... http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/nyregion/30hybrid.html
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2009_Nissan_Altima_Hybrid1.jpgChristine Hauser - NYTIMES (http://www.nytimes.com) - July 29, 2009
I'm glad to see that the vehicles haven't been dismissed out of hand purely because of seating. --Ed.
The Police Department’s new hybrid patrol cars are environmentally friendly, but for some officers, they are a pain in the hip.
Officers in all five boroughs have been testing out 58 hybrid Nissan Altimas in a pilot program to deploy the cars, which run on a lower-cost gasoline-fueled engine and electric motor.
But about three months into the trial, the department has discovered a problem. The officers, bulky with equipment belts that include a holstered Smith & Wesson, do not fit comfortably in the car’s seats, which curl up around the edges. The gun is not in danger of popping out of its holster and discharging accidentally, but the design makes for a clumsy ride, officials said.
When an officer exits the car, the handle of the two-pound weapon presses into the hip and then drags across the edges of the seat, officials said. The department’s solution is to outfit the hybrids with flatter seats and lower the console between the driver and front passenger.
Those modifications and others, like covering the back seats with easy-to-clean vinyl, will cost about $1,100 per vehicle, according to Albert Becker, a deputy inspector and... http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/nyregion/30hybrid.html