E-cars on patrol: Dresden police are testing Stromer from VW

Created: 06/30/2022, 15:13

By: Sebastian Oppenheimer

The police in Lower Saxony are already using electric cars – in Dresden, on the other hand, they are now starting a test for electric vehicles on patrols.

Dresden - More and more electric cars are rolling on the streets - but there are still some reservations about the Stromer.

While some find the range too short, others see the problem primarily in the few public charging stations - especially along the freeways.

The police in Dresden now want to know whether e-cars are also suitable for patrol use - and have started a test.

In Dresden, a VW ID.4 and a VW Passat GTE are being tested for their suitability for patrol duty.

© Philipp Thomas/Police Saxony

E-cars on patrol: Dresden police are testing Stromer from VW

According to the state police headquarters in Saxony, two vehicles are being tested: a "real" Stromer, the VW ID.4 (click here for the driving report) and the plug-in hybrid VW Passat GTE.

For a period of twelve months, Volkswagen Sachsen GmbH, which has been converting cars into special vehicles for the police, fire brigade and driving schools since the 1990s, will make the "customer-ready pre-series models" available to the police.

Both sides are hoping for insights: the police want to know whether Stromer are generally suitable as patrol cars, and Volkswagen Sachsen wants to use the experience gained in the test to improve and further develop its own vehicles.

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E-cars in the police service - Lower Saxony relies on the VW ID.3

Elsewhere, however, things are a little further: In Lower Saxony, for example, electric cars were also tested in police operations - and found to be useful.

The fleet there is constantly being expanded to include more e-cars, primarily the VW ID.3 model – but the response to this on the internet was mixed.

The police in the US city of Spokane recently tested two Tesla Model Y for their own purposes - and came to the conclusion that they no longer wanted to buy Tesla vehicles.

However, the decision had nothing to do with charging problems or range – the Model Y was simply too small for the officials.