Hyundai’s Kona Electric is one of the best-selling electric vehicles (EVs) in the world. It’s relatively inexpensive, has a range of up to 300 miles, and a crossover type of size/class. Thus, it’s also one of the top choices among police forces, particularly in Europe.
Police taskforces in the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Spain have purchased Kona Electrics for some of their official duties. Now, we can add the Scottish police to the list too. The Scottish police, officially called ‘Police Scotland,’ has recently ordered 180 Kona Electrics, all of which will include the 64-kWh battery option. This is Hyundai’s largest fully electric fleet order ever.
Hyundai has secured a remarkable number of fleet contracts this year, with over 200 fleet orders between March and August alone.
Lack of supply was previously an issue that plagued the Hyundai Kona Electric for most of its time on the market. However, Hyundai has addressed that issue. When Kona electric was first introduced to the market, it had a long waiting list, with some places having to wait 12 months to receive orders. The problem was that the Kona Electric was being produced in small numbers, compared to the Tesla Model 3; supply was limited by under-ambitious plans.
Hyundai has now reached production capacity, mainly in Europe, to a more significant level that has allowed it to catch up with demand.
Hyundai highlights its progress on Police Scotland’s order:
Thanks to Hyundai’s ability to quickly meet customer demand for all-electric vehicles within weeks of ordering, delivery of the first Kona Electric vehicles to Police Scotland will begin this month with the full order due to be fulfilled by March 2021.
Regarding EV adoption in the coming years, Police Scotland has ambitious plans to lead the way in the UK. “Police Scotland’s Fleet Strategy is highly ambitious, with the aim of having the UK’s first ultra-low emission blue light fleet by 2030. This substantial contract marks a major step towards that goal by making ULEVs accessible to more of our officers and staff,” Will Kerr, Scotland’s Deputy Chief Constable explained.
Kerr added:
Achieving our Fleet Strategy aims will significantly reduce carbon emissions while also reducing maintenance and servicing costs. It’s one of many strides the organization is taking to achieve a sustainable, flexible service which meets the needs of our fellow citizens while also providing a modern, fit-for-purpose fleet for our people to use in the course of their work.
Kona Electric is an excellent vehicle for the police force. It wouldn’t be surprising to hear at least one more announcement this year of police fleet buyers making another significant order. Check out the photos below of Switzerland and Spain’s Hyundai Kona Electric green police vehicles to better understand what the Police Scotland fleet will look like.
