Strathclyde Police puts smart car on trial

smart thinking by Strathclyde Police could help the force to reduce its fuel consumption and carbon footprint.

Strathclyde Police is one of several Scottish constabularies about to take a two-seater smart car on trial.

Mercedes-Benz UK is supplying a 71bhp smart fortwo passion coupé in full police livery for officers to use over a seven-day period.

The car utilises smart’s intelligent micro hybrid drive (mhd) automatic stop-start function, which operates during the engine idling phases. The system stops the car when it senses the speed dropping below 5mph and the driver is braking before instantly re-starting when the brake pedal is released.

As a result of this technology, the smart fortwo coupé mhd returns 65.7 miles per gallon – a 24 per cent fuel saving over its predecessor - and emits just 103g/km of CO2.

“Within Strathclyde Police we are continuously seeking to optimise and utilise the fleet to achieve efficiency, provide effective resources to meet the demands of operational policing and reduce the impact on the environment,” said Fleet Manager Tony Chalk.

“The smart car is intended to be placed within the areas of the Force to assess the robustness, safety and functionality within what is a very busy operational Force.”

Iain Macpherson, Mercedes-Benz UK’s Corporate Development Manager – North, set up the smart car trial with Strathclyde Police as well as Lothian & Borders, Tayside Police and Fife and Central Scotland constabularies. He said that the iconic two-seater would be perfect for “friendly policing”.

“People seem to genuinely warm to smarts which would make them ideal for community roles - whether general patrol work or visiting local schools, youth groups and neighbourhood watches,” explained Iain. “Practically and from an environmental perspective, the cars would be suited for single officer use as it means that the driver wouldn’t have to go out in a bigger vehicle with three or four empty seats.

“In today’s economic climate, smart’s low running costs are attracting more interest than ever before from private customers and business users,” he continued. “The recently-launched smart fortwo cdi has massive appeal, thanks to its offering of 85.6 miles per gallon (combined) and the lowest CO2 emissions of any current production car at just 88g/km.”