Blue, red, and green: Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Toyota Mirai police cars trialled

The Western Australia Police Force is exploring the use of alternative fuels in its fleet.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric vehicle (EV) and Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle (FCEV) are being trialled operationally by WA Police, as it looks for “potential future frontline policing applications”.

“The WA Police Force has initiated research and testing of ‘green’ vehicles that may be suitable for operational policing,” Acting Assistant Commissioner Allan Adams said at a media event.

“Toyota and Hyundai have kindly provided vehicles to the WA Police Force for the purpose of a long-term full operational trial.”

Interestingly, it might be the only time a WA Police car has ever worn Victorian number plates.

Toyota Australia doesn’t currently offer the Mirai for sale, but began offering its hydrogen model to organisations in April 2021 through a three-year lease deal totalling $63,000 – meaning the vehicles will be returned to Toyota at the end of their respective stints.

The zero-emissions Mirai uses an electric motor producing 134kW and 300Nm to power the rear axle, fed from a 128kW, 330-cell polymer electrolyte fuel-cell stack, with a 1.2kWh lithium-ion battery and three hydrogen tanks equaling 5.6kg of capacity.

Despite boasting a range of 650km (WLTP cycle), with just one hydrogen refuelling facility in the state currently, the Mirai will be sticking to operations in the Fremantle area.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 police car uses dual electric motors to send a total of 225kW and 605Nm to all four wheels, allowing for a 0-100km/h sprint time of 5.2 seconds, and with a 72.6kWh lithium-ion battery allowing for a range of up to 430km (WLTP cycle) – though that number can shrink when the car’s performance is fully utilised.

Zero-emissions vehicles have been increasingly sought out by Australian police forces for testing in recent years.

In 2019, Victoria Police began using a Tesla Model X as part of its Highway Patrol fleet, while the New South Wales Police Force began using a Hyundai Kona EV as a community engagement vehicle in late 2021.

Around the same time, Queensland Police introduced a hydrogen-powered Hyundai Nexo, which was understood to have been used by the North Brisbane Domestic and Family Violence unit.

Earlier this year, WA Police introduced 55 Skoda Superb wagons to its fleet, joining Kia Stinger highway patrol cars used across the state.