Greener wheels for Aspen police ∨
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Design PhilosophyBy Charles Agar, The Aspen Times
In an effort to set a green example in Colorado, Aspen cops are going hybrid.
Following a two-month test of a Toyota Highlander hybrid as a police cruiser in Aspen, Police Chief Richard Pryor announced plans to replace the department’s Volvo cruisers with 10 of the new hybrid vehicles.
The new fleet, costing $35,000 each with an additional $4,000 to $6,000 for police outfitting, will arrive in Aspen over the next five months.
Converting to hybrids, Pryor said, is the next “radical yet logical step” in the face of concerns over global warming and skyrocketing gas prices.
Police enlisted the help of staff at the Rocky Mountain Institute, an environmental nonprofit, who were able to beef up the hybrid vehicle’s electrical system, installing an extra battery to run the cruiser’s laptop, radar gun and video camera.
After the change, the hybrid performed well in Aspen’s “challenging environment,” Pryor said.
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