The boys in blue are going green in New York as the police department announced it will replace 40 of its squad cars with Nissan Altima Hybrids. They're the first gas-electric hybrids to be used as regular patrol cars by the largest police department in the U.S. The 40 hybrid vehicles -18 marked and 22 unmarked- will be used in patrol precincts and other units in all five boroughs of the city.At $25,391 per vehicle, the Altima hybrids cost about $1,500 more than the conventional Impala. However, due to the fact that the hybrids return 35mpg for city driving compared to the Chevy's 16mpg, NY Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said that they will cover the difference in a short period of time.
"These new patrol cars will help fulfill the PlaNYC goal of reducing City government's carbon footprint," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Through savings in fuel, these Altimas can quickly cover their additional cost, from then they will save taxpayers money – another example of how going green is good for our environment and our pocketbooks."
New York City officials said that after a after a year of monitoring the Altima Hybrids performance the Department will determine whether or not to further expand them into the fleet.
Photo: NYC
