"Getting Cuffed Just Got Greener" - 40 Altima Hybrids join the NYPD

MaxxMPG · #1 02-15-2009, 09:56 PM

Found today on the WNBC (New York City) website - http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local...t-Greener.html

"The NYPD will soon unveil a new fleet of hybrid cars it's testing for full-time use on patrol, the New York Post reported.

Forty environmentally-friendly 2009 Nissan Altimas -- fuel-efficient hybrids that get more bank for their gas bucks -- will hit city streets in the next two weeks as part of the NYPD's new "green" initiative."

"The city has spent a reported $1.1 million on the cars, which the NYPD will test to see if they work on the police beat."

...Considering that 95% of the time is spent idling, the HSD is a natural. Critics can't say that acceleration and handling are needed in police vehicles for high speed chases since the city is more or less gridlocked 24 hours a day. The report states that the Altima gets twice the mileage of the current cruisers. And the fuel tank size is about the same. So that means half the down-time for refueling, too.

GrendelKhan · #2 02-16-2009, 05:52 PM

Oh, oh, oh... Now I want to drag race mine with a Crown Vic...

jkp1187 · #3 02-16-2009, 09:13 PM

I think the Altima is a much more natural police cruiser than a Prius, since it is larger, and has a trunk that is separate from the passenger compartment.

It probably doesn't hurt that it's a bit more muscular looking than the Prius....

I wonder if they've upgraded the suspension, alternator, or transmission for police duty?

MaxxMPG · #4 02-17-2009, 12:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkp1187

I think the Altima is a much more natural police cruiser than a Prius, since it is larger, and has a trunk that is separate from the passenger compartment.

It probably doesn't hurt that it's a bit more muscular looking than the Prius....

I wonder if they've upgraded the suspension, alternator, or transmission for police duty?

The Altima has more interior head/leg room than the Prius, and I suspect they chose the it over the Camry because Nissan undercut Toyota on the bid. The powertrain is the same in both cars.

The suspension on the Altima, whose platform is shared with the "four door sports car" Maxima, may need only the Maxima handling package to meet the needs of the NYPD. These city cruisers rarely drive more than 30mph or so, and they spend much of their time idle. These stop/go heavy pedal inner city miles are a brutal test of any vehicle.

The HSD transmission seems pretty robust and it should be able to handle daily police duty without much more than additional cooling capacity. After five years of use in the Prius and a couple of years in the Camry, I've never seen either one for sale cheap with the words "needs transmission" in the ad. I'm not sure about the alternator, as it is only functional when the engine is running, but they could probably use a high-amp alternator and battery to minimize the engine's uptime while the car is parked and all the electronics (computers, radios, etc) are operating.

I posted the link when I found it because I have heard a generic objection to hybrids among the general public, fearing that they are delicate and sensitive, and difficult and expensive to maintain and repair. That is common among any new technology, and hybrids aren't exempt from these assumptions. Millions of real world miles prove them to be untrue, and the daily use and abuse of these cars in public service should further prove their durability and cost effectiveness. Hopefully the NYPD will provide feedback to the media on how the NAH is doing in its mission on the streets of the city. From what I know of these cars, they should perform very well.

hobbit · #5 02-17-2009, 01:22 AM

There is no alternator, there's a nice studly DC/DC converter that
produces a nice stable 13.x volts that will stay solid, fed from
the hybrid battery which the engine can start up and keep charged
every so often.
.
Hybrids like this are *ideally* suited for police purposes.
.
_H*

GrendelKhan · #6 02-17-2009, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkp1187

I think the Altima is a much more natural police cruiser than a Prius, since it is larger, and has a trunk that is separate from the passenger compartment.

It probably doesn't hurt that it's a bit more muscular looking than the Prius....

I wonder if they've upgraded the suspension, alternator, or transmission for police duty?

Totally different cars, actually. The Prius is a nice car for getting around, but from my experience wouldn't be very good at chasing anything. The NAH may not be a dragster but it moves. There's very decent acceleration. Mine has been up to 110 and there's plenty more up there. It has the upgraded sport suspension that is used on the 3.5 version, to make it more Maxima-ish.

I've driven the Prius and the Camry Hybrid, and own the NAH. The Prius is likely too slow for what they need. Not sure why they didn't get the Camry, it seemed more like a big American car to me (I thought it was too squishy). Maybe they liked the handling, as do I.

Two of my workmates each has a Prius, and one of them beats the living crap out of his. Lately he's running about 32mpg. He's either on the gas hard, or braking hard. I've tried to coach him, but to no avail. Not sure how many miles are on it, but he's had it for years. His only complaint is how slow it is.

Time will have to tell with the NAH, I've only got 23k miles on it. But I drive the thing pretty hard, about as often as I hypermile...

Anyway, long story short, Hobbit is right - "ideally suited".

jkp1187 · #7 02-17-2009, 02:01 PM

@GrendelKhan: I quite agree, but some Priuses ARE being used as police cruisers:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19597

And my question about whether or not there would be an upgraded "police package" for the Altima stemmed from the fact that some PDs require it, and won't consider vehicles that don't have a police package (ala Chevy's 9C1). I think it would behoove Nissan to make such a package.

I'm starting to wonder if the Honda Accord Hybrid might actually have been even more ideally suited to configuration as a fuel-efficient police cruiser, especially for highway patrols. They do prefer the larger-displacement engines, and it wouldn't have had trouble keeping up in high-speed chases.... (Not to mention the fact that the highway miles would've played to its strong suit.)

GrendelKhan · #8 02-17-2009, 02:22 PM

Oh my goodness... I just assumed... Wow, who'd a thunk it? LOL, I like the paintjob on the Prius cruiser. Thanks, that picture made me smile.

It wouldn't surprise me if the police version needed to be beefier, or was beefier - I was just saying that the NAH is hugely beefier than the Prius. Prolly beefy enough, but I really wouldn't know.

I've never been in an Accord Hybrid, but from what I've read, I think you're likely right.