Mustang

us/en) Inside the fender wells, SoundOff 4-inch MPower lights are mounted. On the outside of the fender wells (both front and rear) are SoundOff 4-inch MPower LED lights. Along with the lighting on the push bar, the vehicle front bumper has two Whelen surface-mount ION™ T-Series™ lights, plus two Superior Signal flat 6 lights.

Havis (https://www.havis.com/product-category/search-by-vehicle-typemake/ford/ford-mustang-mach-e/) makes a custom console for the Mach-E, which is unique given the shifter dial center location in the Mach-E. The console has an equipment storage bin and room for a SoundOff 400 siren/light controller. No mobile radio is installed, as the officer uses their personal portable radio for communication.

Havis also constructed a laptop pedestal mount as to provide as close to regular patrol vehicle ergonomics as possible.

Also inside is a custom Havis passenger headrest-mounted Brother printer used for traffic citation enforcement. Between the seats, Gooch has installed a Santa Cruz single long-gun rack that will hold an AR15 or a shotgun. (https://santacruzgunlocks.com/)

The vehicle also has a WatchGuard® Panoramic camera system, which includes a prisoner camera and a bodycam charger for the officer. (https://www.motorolasolutions.com/en_us/video-security-access-control/in-car-video-systems/4rein-car-video-system.html)

The telecommunications configuration is similar again to the NPD’s regular setup with Panasonic TOUGHBOOK®, Cradlepoint 4G modem, ChargeGuard power controller, and Panorama “BatWing” cellular/GPS/WiFi antenna. (https://panorama-antennas.com/) For electronic equipment storage, there is a rear-mounted Setina lockbox for all the controllers for various technology gear.

The back seat of the Mach-E is where things got interesting, according to Gooch. Tearing out the back seat was no easy chore as there isn’t really a handbook for such a task. After getting everything removed, Gooch was able to install a complete Setina kit with Setina back seat, Setina single prisoner compartment, and Setina interior door panels and window protectors. (https://setina.com/ spec-your-vehicle/#)

On the exterior, Chief Grogan wanted this vehicle to clearly be identifiable as a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) while maintaining consistency of their standard police fleet graphics, so the same graphics were used but the colors were changed to incorporate green.

As the Mach-E becomes more mainstream in law enforcement, more equipment will become available that’s custom-designed for this vehicle. Gooch says at the time they started upfitting their Mach-E, not a lot of information on aftermarket equipment was out there. Gooch, who is a regular attendee to Police Fleet Expo every year, said, “If it wasn’t for attending the Police Fleet Expo in Austin, Texas last year, I would never have seen all the available Mach-E equipment that we ended up using.”

The Ford Mach-E GT version has been chosen by many departments as part of a green initiative over the past few years. Most notably, NYPD just purchased 160 Mach-E vehicles and has deployed them in all areas of the NYPD. For any agency still considering the Mach-E as a possible addition to their fleet, they should look at the last Michigan State Police (MSP) Vehicle Testing.

The Mach-E was Ford’s only electric submission at this year’s MSP test, featuring an all-wheel drive configuration and the Mach-E GT’s powertrain, which means that it utilizes dual-permanent magnetic motors, including an upgraded secondary electric motor that powers the front wheels for a combined output of 480 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque. Ford projects that the Mach-E GT will do 0 to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds and achieve an EPA-estimated 270 miles of range. Law enforcement use will likely change these figures and so will weather, as well as equipment demands. It will be interesting to see the results after NYPD has their fleet of 160 deployed for a year in the field.

MSP drivers managed to do 0 to 60 in 3.93 seconds flat and hit 100 mph in 12.23 seconds in the Mach-E. Contrary to popular belief, the Mach-E test vehicle only had police graphics; it did not have extra police lighting or equipment during the test. The Mach-E hit 122 mph in two miles, and after 18 miles of high-speed track testing, the Mach-E used 30% charge on each run; it wasn’t down to 30% charge left in the battery (i.e., it went from 80% down to 50% over the eight laps).

Likely, the heat on the electric motors is the reason for the diminishing speed after the five fastest laps. Charging was done after every eight laps. MSP called that performance “a good start” for EVs but noted that charging infrastructure and speeds will need to improve before electric vehicles can completely replace ICE-powered vehicles in this capacity.

Ford has already increased the Mach-E’s usable battery capacity for the 2023 model year, which should translate to more range, and it plans on continuously improving the EV in that regard moving forward. It should also be noted that while the Mach-E is not an officially sanctioned and pursuit-rated purpose-built police vehicle, Ford has released an upfitters document to assist fleet managers who will deploy one regardless. Ford recommends the purchase of the GT version and not the base model to ensure there is sufficient power available for aftermarket equipment demands.

Any agency that’s considering the addition of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) to their fleet should be aware of the unique upfitting requirements and available upfit equipment regardless of make or model chosen.

Many agencies have had great success adding BEVs to their command staff, administrative staff, and detective staff vehicle pools, but the jury is still out on BEVs in frontline policing. Charging infrastructure costs, charging downtimes, range anxiety, and battery safety are all still hot topics of debate. An agency that “hot seats” their fleet may have to purchase extra vehicles to accommodate charging times so logistically, BEVs can create complexity that ICE vehicles don’t have.

While governments at all levels continue downward pressure on fleet and police managers across North America, it is important to understand the facts about electrification. One point that is often overlooked with the BEV transition is the true comparison calculation of CO2 between an ICE vehicle and a BEV. On average, it takes 15–18 years depending on vehicle model for the BEV vehicle to produce less CO2 than the ICE vehicle due to the manufacturing process that creates the battery. So if you only keep your BEV police vehicle for 3–4 years, that vehicle is actually contributing more CO2 into the atmosphere than any ICE vehicle in your fleet. (https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=S1E8SQde5rk)

At the end of the day, the Norcross Police Department has a unique police vehicle that breaks down stereotypical barriers and actively stimulates positive interaction between the police and the community. Mission accomplished!

Tracy Gooch of Gooch’s Emergency Vehicle Solutions can be reached at Goochsevs@yahoo.com