Michigan State Police lease first EV at $1,062 per month

The Michigan State Police tested 12 vehicles before picking a 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E AWD for the State Security Operations Section’s first electric vehicle.

The state will pay $1,062 monthly to lease the vehicle, records obtained by Michigan Capitol Confidential show.

The vehicle reached a speed of 100 miles per hour in 10.87 seconds during a test run at the Chelsea Proving Grounds on Sept. 16, 2023, according to the MSP’s 102-page testing records. The vehicle will be used by state properties security officers, who provide armed security coverage for state properties, including the Capitol and the governor's mansion.

“This is an exciting opportunity for us to research, in real time, how a battery electric vehicle performs on patrol,” MSP Director Col. James F. Grady II said in a January statement. “Our state properties security officers patrol a substantially smaller number of miles per day than our troopers and motor carrier officers, within city limits and at lower speeds, coupled with the availability of charging infrastructure in downtown Lansing, making this the ideal environment to test the capabilities of a police-package battery electric vehicle.”

The manufacturer’s suggested retail price for this vehicle starts at $42,000. The Mustang Mach-E AWD has a range of 264 miles, according to Edmunds, which rated the vehicle an 8.2 out of 10. State police vehicles typically accelerate from 0 – 60 mph in 9 seconds, 0 – 80 mph in 14.9 seconds, and 0 – 100 mph in 24.6 seconds.

“The vehicle must reach 110 mph in 0.92 mile and 120 mph in 1.70 miles,” testing documents said.

The vehicle is stored in Lansing.

The 12 vehicles tested were: Chevrolet Tahoe 5.3L RWD; Chevrolet Tahoe 5.3L 4WD; Chevrolet Silverado Z7X 4WD; Chevrolet Silverado Z71 4WD; Chevrolet Blazer EV AWD; Dodge Durango 5.7L AWD; Dodge Durango 3.6L AWD; Ford Police Interceptor Utility 3.0L EcoBoost AWD; Ford Police Interceptor Utility Hybrid AWD; Ford Police Interceptor Utility 3.3L AWD; Ford F150 Police Responder 3.5L EcoBoost; Ford Mustang Mach-E AWD.

State police have 2,305 vehicles, according to the 2023 fleet plan. There are about 1,326 SUVs, 685 coupes and sedans, 144 vans, 91 pickups, 32 service, delivery, or tow trucks, 25 motorcycles, one bus, and one ATV or snowmobile.

Historically, the state police have driven vehicles fueled by gasoline or diesel. But the law enforcement agency is starting to use electric vehicles, partly under a push to make state agencies adopt 14,000 EVs by 2040. Overall, Michigan is 2.3% toward its goal of reaching 2 million EVs registered statewide by 2030.

Michigan state agencies have 30 electric vehicles.

A sparse charging network, range anxiety, and a high upfront cost have resulted in weak demand for electric vehicles, CapCon has reported. About 50,000 electric vehicles are registered in Michigan, according to the federal government, compared to more than 6.8 million gas and diesel vehicles.