The NYPD has plans to buy 200 hybrid vehicles in 2010, officials say.

The new vehicles will be hybrid Ford Fusions and Escapes, the officials said, and they will begin arriving after they are outfitted for law enforcement use.

Last spring, officers in each borough began testing a large fleet of around 40 hybrid Nissan Altimas — environmentally friendly patrol vehicles that get better gas mileage than standard police cars, like Ford Crown Victorias or Chevrolet Impalas.

“These were the first hybrids outfitted with a police package being used for patrol,” said John McCarthy, a spokesman for the department. “We wanted to see how they held up after being subjected to use on patrol. After a year of use, the feedback has been positive.”

All told, the department has more than 200 hybrid cars and sport utility vehicles in its fleet, in addition to T3 Transporters (which are all-electric, three-wheel, upright vehicles that carry one person and reach speeds of up to 25 miles per hour and are used in such places as Yankee Stadium, Central Park and Orchard Beach) and Vectrix scooters (a small scooter, similar to a Vespa, which can go up to 55 m.p.h. and is used in congested urban areas.)

The new purchases will double the pool of hybrid vehicles, to more than 400.

The hybrid Ford Fusions and Escapes will be used on patrol, joining the ranks of Nissan Altimas, officials said.

Hybrid vehicles run on a lower-cost gasoline engines and electric motors. They can get two to three times as many miles per gallon, and the brakes last two to three times as long as those on standard cars before they need to be replaced, the police said. Of course, as Mr. McCarthy said, when it comes to environmentally friendly, “nothing beats” the department’s Mounted Unit’s stable of horses — which run on “hay and oats.”

The police at one point tested one or two Segways, the personal stand-up vehicles, but never used them regularly, opting instead for the T3 Transporters.

(Source: NY Times)