Western Australia’s boys and girls in blue are turning green with the recruitment of two new electric vehicles to WA’s police force – the Hyundai Ioniq 5 battery electric EV and Toyota’s Mirai hydrogen fuel cell EV.
Fully decked out in police livery, including lightbars and all the computer tech inside which goes along with catching baddies, the Ioniq 5 and Mirai are being tested to see if they’re up to the job. If they earn their stripes they’ll join the WA’s police force full-time.
“The WA Police Force has initiated research and testing of ‘green’ vehicles that may be suitable for operational policing,” Assistant Commissioner Adams said.
“Toyota and Hyundai have kindly provided vehicles to the WA Police Force for the purpose of a long-term full operational trial.”
While the Mirai and Ioniq 5 are both electric vehicles, how they source electricity is quite different.
The Mirai makes its electricity to run its motors from a reaction in a fuel cell between hydrogen and oxygen. So rather than having a battery which must be charged, the Mirai needs to be filled with hydrogen at refuelling station.
Toyota Australia hasn’t released pricing on this second-generation Mirai, but the company is offering a $63,000 three-year lease for organisations wishing to trial the technology.
The four-door sedan with a swooping fastback roofline comes standard with 19-inch alloys, LED headlights, synthetic leather upholstery, rear privacy glass, proximity key and push button start, along with a 12.3-inch touchscreen and sat nav.
The Mirai’s single electric motor makes 134kW and 300Nm and has to haul the sedan’s 1900kg weight, making its 0-100km/h sprint a fairly sluggish 9.2 seconds. The Mirai’s range of up to 650km is impressive, however.
The Ioniq 5 is a battery electric vehicle and, as the name suggests, electricity is suppled to its motors from a battery which in turn needs to be charged. The WA police are using the all-wheel-drive version which lists for $75,900 before on-road costs.
Looking like a cross between an SUV and a large hatchback, the Ioniq 5 AWD comes standard with 20-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, leather upholstery, 12.3-inch media screen, sat nav, proximity key and a Bose sound system.
The Ioniq 5 AWD has two motors – one on the front axle making 70kW/255Nm and a 155kW/350Nm unit on the rear axle producing a total output of 225kW/605Nm and a range of up to 430km.
The Ioniq 5 AWD isn’t light either at 2100kg, but it can accelerate almost twice as fast as the Mirai with its two motors pushing it from 0-100km/h in a blistering 5.2 seconds.
That straight-line performance is only a fraction off the sprint time of the last Aussie-made Holden Commodore VF SS-V Redline, which was used by police forces Australia-wide and able to throw itself from 0-100km/h in 4.9 seconds thanks to its 304kW/570Nm 6.2-litre V8.
But times, they are a changing, and Hyundai Australia is pleased the Western Australian police force is seriously considering the Ioniq 5 as part of its future line-up.
“We’re excited to see the WA Police Force put the Ioniq 5 EV through its paces, as part of trial for potential future frontline policing application,” Hyundai Australia’s senior public relations manager Guido Schenken said.
“It’s a great real-world test for IONIQ 5, under tough operating conditions, and assessed by highly experienced drivers.
“We’re confident IONIQ 5 has the performance and range to deliver in a police operational environment.”
The Toyota Mirai has seen active duty with police departments overseas including the UK where London’s Metropolitan Police had up to 19 on its fleet, but this is the first time one has joined an Aussie police force.
The Mirai isn’t the first hydrogen fuel cell vehicle to be used by an Australia police force, however. In December 2021 Queensland Police Force began testing of the Hyundai Nexo small hydrogen SUV.
The Western Australian Police Force’s Ioniq 5 will be trialled at State Traffic, Midland, Rockingham, Geraldton and Bunbury police stations. The Mirai will be put to the test in the Freemantle district.
Since the departure of the much-loved (or much hated?) Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon from Australia’s police forces many other models have put on the uniform including the Kia Stinger, BMW 530d, Chrysler 300 SRT, Hyundai’s Santa Fe and Sonata, and the Volkswagen Passat.
Keyword: Bad boys, what ya gonna do? Hyundai's Ioniq 5 and Toyota's Mirai could be after you!