Queensland Police Deploys First Electric Patrol Vehicle

Queensland Police has unveiled its first electric vehicle in a significant shift toward low-emission policing, debuting a high-performance Kia EV6 that officers say is the most powerful car in the entire service's fleet.

The battery-powered patrol car, wrapped in vivid yellow with retro 1980s-inspired styling, made its first operational run on Wednesday when it led the Queensland Maroons team bus to State of Origin. The vehicle marks the beginning of an intensive year-long trial designed to test how electric cars perform across diverse terrain and climates within real policing conditions.

Queensland Police has selected five high-performance Kia EV6 GT models for the trial, deploying them to five different regions: Cairns, Nambour, Ipswich, Toowoomba and Brisbane. The strategy ensures the vehicles face varied operational demands—from tropical humidity and heavy rain to mountain passes and urban patrol work—providing police with data on how the technology adapts to different environments.

The EV6 GT accelerates from zero to 100km/h in 3.5 seconds, outperforming every other vehicle currently in Queensland Police's inventory. Acting Assistant Commissioner Matthew Vanderbyl outlined the core questions the trial aims to answer.

"What does that do for electric range when we drive it up and down the Toowoomba range ten times a day? Or when we put it out into Cairns into the wet tropics?" Vanderbyl said. "When we load it up with some of the equipment we wear or carry, and we drive it in sometimes urgent duty driving situations, what does that do to the battery, the technology, and the range?"

The service is particularly interested in understanding how adding operational equipment—radios, light bars, communications systems and other police gear—affects battery performance and real-world range. These vehicles are being purchased above the normal fleet size and will not replace existing vehicles during the trial, allowing for a pure evaluation without operational compromise.

To support the trial, Queensland Police is installing 22-kilowatt DC chargers at each of the five locations, with charging occurring overnight during downtime shifts. The service notes its large facilities already use renewable energy and rooftop solar, reducing the emissions footprint of the charging infrastructure itself.

Queensland Police already operates approximately 80 plug-in hybrid or hybrid electric vehicles, giving the service established experience with battery-powered patrol cars. However, this is the first pure electric vehicle to join the fleet. Commissioner Katarina Carroll indicated that the eventual transition to an all-electric fleet is inevitable.

"We see a really accelerating rate of take-up in electric vehicles within the broader community, and there are good reasons for that," Carroll said. The trial comes amid a national trend: Western Australia Police launched trials of electric and hydrogen vehicles earlier this month, NSW Police deployed an electric BMW for highway patrol in May, and Victoria Police began testing Tesla electric vehicles in its highway patrol fleet several years ago.

The remaining four EV6s in the Queensland trial are expected to be operational within the next two to three months, with the complete assessment running through the next 12 months.