AN GARDA SIOCHANA are about to have their fleet of squad cars completely modernised.
BMW Ireland has announced that they will provide a “ground-breaking” BMW i3 to An Garda Siochana to pilot the practical implications of electric vehicles.
The vehicle, which sports the traditional Garda livery, has been on display to the public this week at the BT Young Scientist exhibition at the RDS in Dublin.
We are providing a BMW i3 to An Garda Síochána for the first electric vehicle feasibility study within the Irish Police Service. The vehicle, which sports the famous Garda livery, is on display at @TheRDS this week at An Garda Síochána’s stand at the BT Young Scientist exhibition pic.twitter.com/GxPZZtrEpB
— BMW Ireland (@BMWireland) January 12, 2018
The pilot BMW i3, provides emissions-free driving with a pure electric range of 180kms in real-world driving conditions. Its agility makes it ideally suited for dense urban areas.
The manufacturing process of the i3 is derived from green power, such as wind turbines, and one of the world’s largest hydroelectric plants and uses a completely new purpose-built architecture with carbon-fibre reinforced plastic for the passenger cell.
The interior, on the other hand, was created using sustainably sourced materials and up to 95% of the car is recyclable.
There are currently 2,800 BMW i3’s in Ireland, making it one of the country’s largest commercial fleets.
They retail from €36,510 to €49,160.
National BMW Corporate & Diplomatic Manager with BMW Ireland, Anthony Casey, said: “We are excited to provide our ground-breaking BMW i3 to An Garda Siochana.
“Every aspect of the i3 has been conceived for sustainability but at the same time it is extremely agile so it will certainly not escape the attention of the public on our roads.”
