The Ford team has helped create a new version of the Ford Explorer Police Interceptor Utility vehicle that can be used for police duties.
The police officers that patrol the roads and respond to calls when emergencies take place need to have vehicles they can trust and rely on when they are on duty. This Explorer has been created in a way that it can be ready for pursuit duties, but it also has the ability to idle and watch without costing as much as a typical Ford Explorer would cost.
Modified Elements of this Explorer
The police version of the Ford Explorer is exactly the same as the one you can purchase except for the items needed to make it ready for duty. This means the suspension, brakes, transmission, interior, and structure have all been modified a great deal. There are 160 pounds of additional structural material in the rear to help protect officers in a rear-end collision. This happens often during traffic stops. It seems, these changes make the Police Interceptor Utility a lot different from the typical Ford Explorer, which is a good thing for the officers that need to drive and use this vehicle.
How the Changes Improve Performance
The larger brakes give officers excellent stopping power, the upgraded suspension allows this SUV to perform better when the maneuvering becomes challenging, the stability control system makes it easier for officers to perform maneuvers that would push a vehicle sideways during a chase, and the transmission has been calibrated to respond to the heavy throttle demands of immediate acceleration. There’s also added cooling to help make sure the engine and transmission can continue to perform the right way under a heavy load of power needs that can be part of the duties of this police vehicle.
Why a Ford Hybrid Powertrain?
As quickly as the excitement can take place for a police officer, most of the time, a police vehicle is sitting idly by and waiting for a call or watching an area. The equipment that officers need to use when inside a vehicle requires the vehicle to be turned on and burn gas to operate this equipment. Using the hybrid powertrain of the Police Interceptor Utility makes it possible for the batteries to run these electronics which saves on the gasoline costs for the police force and reduces the load on the gasoline in the vehicle.
Added Pursuit Power from a Hybrid
The Ford Explorer Police Interceptor Utility not only uses the hybrid power to run the electronics an officer will need, but the hybrid powertrain adds more power to the pursuit. The electric motor adds 44 horsepower to the mix and more torque to bring the total numbers to 318 horsepower and 322 lb.-ft. of torque from the 3.3-liter V6 engine. This hybrid powertrain also makes it easy to have the torque earlier in the rev range. This hybrid version of the Explorer is impressive for police duties, making the job better for those who work to keep our world safe and secure.
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