Kia EV6 Recruited As Police Car In Australia

The Kia EV6 GT-Line AWD is the first all-electric vehicle fleeted by the Queensland Police Service (QPS).

Packing a peppy dual-motor, all-wheel-drive (AWD) setup boasting combined outputs of 321 HP and 605 NM, the Kia EV6 GT-Line AWD is indeed a quick EV if its claimed 0-100 KM/H time of 5.2 seconds is anything to go by.

Said performance, and claimed 506 KM (WLTP) stemming from its 77.4 KWH battery, perhaps convinced police in Queensland, Australia to reportedly fleet a handful of which as highway patrol cars. According to Queensland Police Service (QPS), it will assess and evaluate the vehicle over the next 12 months across four seasons.

Fittingly, the EV6 stands as the first full-electric vehicle in said fleet that’s already electrified with around 80 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles. Predictably, this EV6 GT-Line AWD differs from the standard car thanks to the amount of law enforcement kit it’s endowed with on board, not forgetting its striking livery.

Striking fluorescent yellow livery is said to be a signature of the QPS Highway Patrol since the 1980s.

The bright, fluorescent yellow scheme – said to be signature of the QPS Highway Patrol fleet since the 1980s – is matched with the customary police light bar mounted on the roof. Apart from that, it appears little else has changed with the exterior.

On board, QPS also outfitted the EV6 with the usual tools of the enforcement trade, which includes the standard police radio comms system. Sorry, no beefy bull-bars here, so you won’t see this EV disseminating PIT manoeuvres just yet.

Now laden with policing gear on board plus a rather un-aerodynamic looking lightbar, perhaps these have hampered this EV6’s claimed range abilities a little. Depending on the region it operates in, these vehicles could see as little as 30 KM of driving in a shift; or as high as 200 to 300 KM in some.

Striking livery aside, the only changes to the exterior are the added lights including a lightbar on the roof.

Nevertheless, the QPS has taken steps to remedy this. It includes installing 22 kW DC chargers at each of the EV6’s location where it patrols.

Additionally, the QP keenly notes that it has both a high-level of rooftop solar power source, and the fact that its large facilities harness renewable energy sources s such. Also, given the round-the-clock nature of highway patrolling, QPS says there is flexibility in this trial that even allows overnight charging.

“We’ve got operational implications that we have got to work through as well, but I think that we’ve really proven some of the earlier technology with hybrid and plug-in hybrid as well,” said QPS Assistant Commissioner Vanderbyl who also foresees the fleet becoming entirely EV in the future.

A handful of these Kia EV6 GT-Line AWDs will undergo evaluation by QPS over the next 12 months.

In Malaysia, EVs like the Kia EV6 aren’t pressed into police duties with the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) just yet. There seems to be no signs of said service adopting EVs anytime soon, but should they decide to, perhaps they can learn a thing or two from their counterparts in Queensland.

Locally, official distributors Dinamikjaya Motors – a subsdiary of Bermaz Auto (BAuto) – officially retails the Kia EV6 solely in GT-Line AWD guise too, priced at RM300,668 sans insurance. Included is a standard 5-year or 150,000 KM vehicle warranty, as well as a 7-year or 150,000 KM EV battery warranty.