Mach-E 5.0? Michigan State Police Evaluate Mustang EV
The Mustang Mach-E has was recently evaluated by police in Michigan to determine its potential as a patrol vehicle.
While the Ford Mustang been an enthusiast favorite since models started rolling off the line six decades ago, it’s also proved popular with law enforcement. When I left Florida in the mid-1990s, these 5.0 Fox Body cars were still in service by the State Police, and were a familiar site on the highways across the Sunshine State. Even stranger is the fact that in the 1970s, Tokyo cops used special Mach 1s to chase down speeders.
So it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that some police forces are already exploring using the Mustang Mach-E as a patrol vehicle. First up was the example in these pictures, which was just put through the paces by the Michigan State Police during its 2022 Model Year Police Evaluation program. For police work, as crossover makes a lot of sense, especially considering that since the demise of the venerable Crown Vic, lots of municipalities across the country have switched to Ford Explorers.
At this point, there’s no word on exactly how the green machine held up to the testing, as it just ended last week. But given how lots of fleets — in every industry — are looking at switching to electric vehicles, I’d be surprised if we don’t see the Mach-E making its way into service. After all, urban spaces remain the best use for EVs, and lots of police work is done within the confines of big cities. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of info on what Ford did to prep this Mach-E for the testing.
Since the longest-range version of the Mach-E is good for over 300 miles, it seems more than reasonable for use in the city. The bigger question I have is how the electrical system has been beefed up to handle the taxing load that police-specific equipment like computers, radios, and lighting puts on the system. In many EVs, even using the heat can have a crazy impact on range, so this is an issue that’ll have to be addressed before we see adaption on a wide scale.
Photos: Ford
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