By Rich Ibarra.
Next time you’re in the Stanislaus County town of Ceres you may notice that the motorcycle cops there are patrolling the streets in silence.
The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District paid the $60,000 price tag for three electric police motorcycles to replace three other gas-powered bikes. The goal was to reduce pollution.
Ceres Police Sergeant Chris Perry says the “zero” motorcycles can travel 120 miles on a single charge, which costs less than a dollar, and they can go everywhere a gas-powered cycle can.
“School campuses, parks, things like that, these motorcycles are phenomenal, they can go up and down stairs, up and down hills, they can be driven in grassy areas, dirt areas, wet areas, dirt areas,” says Perry.
Perry says besides being quiet, the new motorcycles are lighter yet have a top speed of 100 miles an hour. He says maintenance is also a plus.
“It costs about 90 cents of electricity to charge them versus obviously the price of gas,” says Perry. “It takes about four hours for a complete charge on the things.”
The battery is warranted for 205,000 hours, the equivalent of four million miles.
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Reprinted with permission of the California Special Districts Association.
Originally posted at the California Special Districts Association.