Queensland Police Tests First Electric Patrol Vehicle

Queensland Police is putting five Kia EV6 GT-Line vehicles through a 12-month real-world test, marking the first time the service has deployed a fully electric patrol car alongside its existing hybrid fleet.

The trial launches across five regions: Brisbane, Nambour, Ipswich, Toowoomba and Cairns. The choice of locations is deliberate—each presents different operational challenges, from mountain terrain to tropical climates, allowing police to assess how electric range holds up under varied conditions and demanding police work.

The numbers tell a strategic story. While more than 70 per cent of Queensland Police's sedan and SUV fleet already runs on hybrid or plug-in hybrid technology—around 80 vehicles in total—the shift to full electric represents a significant step. The service manages a fleet of nearly 3,000 vehicles overall.

The EV6 is also the most powerful car in Queensland Police's entire fleet, capable of accelerating from zero to 100km/h in 3.5 seconds. This performance paradox—the shift to electric vehicles driven partly by efficiency concerns, yet deploying a vehicle with considerable power—underscores why the trial matters. Real-world police work involves urgent-duty driving, equipment loads, and unpredictable operating conditions that differ sharply from civilian use.

Assistant Commissioner Matthew Vanderbyl outlined the testing priorities: electric range in repeated mountain climbs, performance in tropical environments, and how battery technology responds to the weight and demands of fitted police equipment, radio systems and lighting. These variables will shape investment decisions across the fleet's future transition.

The Queensland Police Service has equipped each trial location with 22kW DC chargers. The service notes its larger facilities already operate substantial rooftop solar capacity and renewable energy systems, which will support the overnight charging schedules that fit within patrol routines.

The first EV6 recently completed final technical fitment and made its policing debut escorting the Queensland State of Origin team this week. The remaining four vehicles will be supplied and fitted within the next two to three months.

Other Australian police forces are moving in parallel directions. Victoria Police began deploying Tesla electric vehicles in its highway patrol fleet in 2019. NSW Police introduced an electric BMW iX SUV to highway patrols in May, while Western Australia Police recently announced trials combining a Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric model with a Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle.

Vanderbyl indicated that a transition to an entirely electric fleet remains inevitable. Growing community adoption of electric vehicles, combined with operational learning from trials like this one, will drive procurement choices in coming years. For now, Queensland Police's hybrid fleet—representing more than two-thirds of sedan and SUV vehicles—serves as a bridge while the service evaluates whether full electrification can sustain the demands of operational police work.

The 12-month trial period will be crucial. Testing across four seasons, multiple climates, and varied terrain should provide concrete data on whether electric vehicles can become a reliable part of policing's operational toolkit.