Sedona Police Department purchased a fully-electric powered motorcycle that will be the first motorcycle for the Green Fleet Policy, which was announced this past fall.
“The 2030 goal of having an entirely electric light-duty passenger vehicle fleet is part of our new Green Fleet Policy that was issued in November 2021,” said Gabe Desmond, Sedona’s sustainability coordinator.
The Green Fleet Policy is one of 50 policies in the city’s Climate Action Plan, and was approved by the city council in July 2021. The goal is to reduce community-wide emissions by 50% by the year 2030. And according to city studies, 18% of the greenhouse gas emissions are from the transportation sector in Sedona.
“We made the decision to expand our traffic enforcement capacity through the addition of an electric motorcycle early last year in collaboration with generous partners at the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety,” Sedona Police Chief Charles Husted said. “Their shared commitment to improving roadway safety and funding made the purchase of the electric police motorcycle possible.”
The motorcycle was funded by a grant given by the governor’s office. The bike will have a range of 176 miles on one charge. According to Husted, the motorcycle is currently operational but will not be seen out in the community until staffing numbers improve for the SPD.
The department has two other gas-powered motorcycles, a Honda and BMW, both funded by the city. According to SPD, weather and road conditions must be ideal for the bikes to be out in the city. The same will be true for the electric bike as well.
Based on the available market stock and technical issues involving pursuit rates, the police department will be the most difficult to electrify for the city. The motorcycles from the Zero motorcycle brand are described as nearly silent, exhaust-free, highly maneuverable with minimal heat production and instant torque from zero rpm.
“The city hopes to lead by example through electrifying our own fleet,” Desmond said.
