Germany police goes electric!
Electric vehicles have been used by the German police for some time, even though their share of the total vehicle fleet is still small.The police of Lower Saxony is now going one step further and has purchased electric motorcycles.
In 2018, the Osnabrück police department had already bought and successfully tested the first electric motorcycles. Now the state of Lower Saxony has purchased 8 electric motorcycles of the brand ZERO DS ZF 14.4 at a unit price of 33,400 Euro including the additional police equipment.
The electric motorcycles can be used in almost all police actions, e.g. as fast and mobile vehicles within traffic jams or for accompanying demonstrations and parades. What is also unique in Germany is that these eight motorcycles are also used as honorary escorts on state visits.
The electric motorcycles are not yet suitable for use on motorways due to their range. In the next generation, the batteries will be able to enable the use of electric motorcycles on motorways.
There is no restriction in comfort, such as with seat heating. The digital radio was completely integrated into the infrastructure of the electric motorcycle.
The eight electric motorcycles are ecological and modern components of a constantly growing fleet of e-police vehicles. Currently, electric vehicles account for about 5 percent of the fleet.
It is not only the emission-free drive that makes these motorcycles attractive: they are almost 100 kg lighter than a motorcycle with a combustion engine, have lower noise emissions, better driving dynamics and are easier and therefore safer to handle. The drive battery also provides enough energy to supply the entire police technology over a long period of time even when the bike is stationary. 
Volker Kluwe, President of the Hanover Police Headquarters, said of the new addition to the police fleet: "Each of our motorcycles covers an average of more than 115,000 kilometres per year. With the new electric motorcycles, the police forces now not only drive emission-free, but also in greater comfort. The new bikes are quieter, more agile and better to handle - a great advantage, especially for emergency trips in the city".
Technical background information:
manufacturer: ZERO Motorcycles
Type: DS ZF 14.4
Effective power: 60 PS (45 KW)
torque: 110 Nm
Maximum speed: 158 km/h
Acceleration 0-100 km/h: 4,5 seconds
Range city: 250 km
Loading time: 5 hours
Tare weight: 187 kg (without police equipment)
Special police extension:
Handheld radio SEPURA STP900
Bike control unit: SEPURA MRC-3, Bluetooth connection
Speakers: Helmet integration
LED- Rotating lights: Fa. Hänsch, Typ Movia-SL on tripod
LED- front flash lights: Fa. Hänsch, Typ Sputnik-SL
Sound system: Fa. Hänsch, 1 Pressure chamber loudspeaker
Stop signal device: Fa. Hänsch, in the back, Full matrix -LED
Further special equipment: Grip heating
grip protectors
Windscreen
Case system
Exemplary cost comparison electric motorcycle / combustion engine:
E-bike Zero DS ZF 14.4:
Operating costs: about 2,04 Euro per 100 kilometres
This value results from the following calculation:
Consumption of electric motorcycle per 100 kilometers: 7 kilowatt hours (kWh)
Cost per kWh: approx. 0.2916 Euro
BMW R1200:
Operating costs: approx. 5.53 euros per 100 kilometres
This value results from the following calculation:
Consumption BMW R1200 per 100 kilometres: min. 4.16 litres Super.
Cost per litre of Super (as of January 2020): 1.33 Euro
