The Metropolitan Police Service is set to team up with the Toyota Mirai to help create the world’s largest fleet of zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell electric police vehicles.
The first of 11 cars have been delivered to the Met with support from the FCHJU (Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking) grants programme and are equipped to work as both marked and unmarked vehicle es for overt and covert response, as well as general purpose use. The only tailpipe emission they produce is water – a by-product of the fuel cell process, turning hydrogen into electricity to power the vehicle. Their zero-emission performance will help the Met in its efforts to support the Mayor of London’s clean air strategy.
The Mirai will have access to five hydrogen filling stations across the capital – a number that’s set to increase in the months and years ahead. On a tank of fuel, each car will be able to cover approximately 300 miles (483 km).
Met Commander Neil Jerome said: “We are delighted to have taken delivery of 11 of these cars to support policing in London. They are our first entirely zero-emission response vehicles and this is an exciting development for us.
“The Met is committed, alongside the Mayor, to making the service as environmentally friendly as possible and a big part of that work is ensuring our fleet is green. Since late 2015 we have been actively looking at ways to hybridise and electrify our fleet as well as exploring other new technologies such as hydrogen.
“This is enabling us to make great strides towards our ambition of procuring 550 vehicles as zero or ultra-low emission by 2020.”
