By Police1 Staff
WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the first federal agency to debut a battery electric vehicle (EV) fitted for performing law enforcement functions at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers’ Office of Cheltenham Operations.
The Ford Mustang Mach-E is the first of a variety of electric vehicles that DHS plans to field across its varied law enforcement missions throughout the homeland.
DHS is leading the charge among federal agencies to transition its fleet vehicles from internal combustion engines to zero-emission electric vehicles. As the nation’s third-largest federal agency and largest law enforcement agency, DHS has an inventory of more than 50,000 vehicles, with law enforcement vehicles making up 60 percent of its fleet,” Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security John Tien said in a news release.
In April 2022, DHS completed the upfit of a Ford Mustang Mach-E as a law enforcement vehicle with lights and sirens in accordance with Federal Protective Service standards. The Mustang Mach-E is undergoing high-threshold testing by the Federal Protective Service to ensure it will meet the demands required of DHS law enforcement missions.
The vehicle must handle a broad spectrum of stresses including, high speeds, maneuverability both on- and off-road, durability, endurance and technical specifications. Concurrently, FPS is conducting cybersecurity assessments of the vehicle that will inform DHS of potential threats, vulnerabilities, and risks associated with the introduction of EVs into the fleet.