What is the slowest police car?
This Citroën Ami Is Probably The Slowest Police Car In The World
Greek islands, a go-to destination for the summer, are becoming increasingly popular for eco-sustainability projects including electric mobility. A few months after a bunch of Volkswagen ID.3 and ID.4 models landed in Astypalaia island as part of a government program, it is now Citroën’s turn to deliver its electric vehicle range to Chalki island in the Aegean Sea. Among them, there will be a a tiny Ami, which will probably be the slowest police car in the world.
Citroën provided a fleet of six vehicles to public authorities of Chalki, which aims to become the first Greek-Eco island. The range includes a pair of Amis for the Police and the Coast Guard, a pair of ë-C4s for the municipality, an ë-Spacetourer MPV, and an ë-Jumpy (ë-Dispatch) panel van. The vehicles are offered in the form of a free 48-month lease. Following this period, Citroën will buy and donate them back to the Municipality of Chalki.
Although the Ami is definitely not suited to highway patrol due to its limited top speed of 45 km/h (28 mph), it is quite practical in the narrow roads of Chalki as well as the most nimble vehicle of the pack. Criminals could probably outrun the light quadricycle with the tiny 8 hp (6 kW / 8 PS) electric motor, but the 70 km (43.5 miles) range from the 5.5 kWh lithium-ion battery is more than enough for the island’s limited road network.
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The ë-C4 offered for the needs of the municipality is a lot better in terms of performance thanks to the 134 hp (100 kW / 136 PS) electric motor and the 50 kWh battery which is good for 350 km (217 miles) of WLTP range. The same battery pack is offering a 230 km (143 miles) range on the ë-Spacetourer, which comes in handy for transporting people.
The Greek Government alongside Citroën/Syngelidis Group, Vinci, and Akuo Greece signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the green energy transition of Chalki. Citroën CEO Vincent Cobée said: “We are very proud to contribute to the transformation of Chalki island into an island which will be autonomous, smart and sustainable”. The company wants both the public authorities and the residents to “take full advantage of the electric vehicles” on the island.
Citroën will also offer the island’s residents and local businesses the opportunity to acquire fully electric light quadricycles, passenger cars, and commercial vehicles with zero emissions with “free-of-charge use of all innovative technologies and connected applications which they incorporate”.
This picturesque Greek island has the slowest and the cutest police car in the world – It delivers 8 bhp and has a top speed of 28 mph.
The choice of police cars in different parts of the world has always fascinated me. While most countries go for utilitarian vehicles that are bought in bulk to grab a good bargain, police cars in the US are big and intimidating like the Ford Explorer and Dodge Charger. Then there are cities like Dubai and Abu Dhabi that maintain a fleet of exotic police cars a PR exercise and maintain a more friendly and approachable image to the public.
We at LL love to cover cool police cars such as Dubai police’s Bugatti Veyron – it is the fastest police car in the world, which makes it a great tool for public engagement. However, today, we’ve got something that’s on the other end of the spectrum. Meet the world’s slowest and probably the smallest police car – Citroen Ami. The local authorities on the Greek island of Chalki have partnered with Citroen for a fleet of electric patrol vehicles as a part of their eco-sustainability efforts, which includes the adorable Citroen Ami.
“We are really glad to collaborate with the Island of Chalki on this exceptional project,” said Vincent Cobee, CEO of Citroen. “This collaboration is completely in keeping with the spirit of Citroen, an innovative and daring brand, closely connected with people in their daily lives and their mobility.”
The Citroen Ami is one of the quirkiest cars ever made, which can be seen as a spiritual successor to the legendary Citroen 2CV. The electric car has a length of 2.41 m and a width of 1.39 m, making it a tiny vehicle. Its small size has its own benefits, including a tiny turning radius which should be very helpful for a tiny island like Chalki. However, I hope the island’s cops aren’t as unfit as me; someone of my size will struggle to fit inside the cabin.
The Ami doesn’t follow the conventions of a traditional car; in fact, the EV is recognized as a quadricycle and doesn’t need a license to drive it in many countries. The single electric motor powering the Ami outputs just 8hp, which is one less than the 2CV. The two-door EV is equipped with an equally tiny 5.5-kilowatt-hour battery pack, which gives it a modest 43.5 miles of range and a top speed of just 28 miles per hour. Imagining a vehicle that looks like a toy car chasing criminals is hilarious. But most islands like Chalki have cops on bicycles and the Ami will only feel like an upgrade.
As a part of the deal with Citroen, the island will get four Ami EVs– two for the police force and two for the Coast Guard. Additionally, a pair of E-C4 crossovers and one E-Spacetourer van will join the fleet of Municipality of Chalk, while an E-Jumpy will be delivered to the Energy Community of Chalki. In a similar move, the Greek island of Astypalea was delivered a bunch of Volkswagen ID.3 and ID.4 EVs as part of a government program for decarbonizing the island.
Greek island of Halki debuts world’s slowest . police cars (VIDEO)
Citroën is providing a fleet of 6 fully electric vehicles to the public authorities in Halki island, namely two Ami to the Police and Coast Guard authorities respectively along with two New ë-C4, one ë-Spacetourer to the Municipality of Halki and one ë-Dispatch will also be delivered to the Energy Community of Halki. Supplied on a free 48 month lease after which Citroen will buy back the cars and donate them to the Municipality of Halki.
Whilst most police departments probably wont have any use for these particular cars given they reach a top speed of only 45km/h and a total all-electric range of only 70-kilometres, they are perfect for the small island of Halki given its narrow streets and small road network.
“This project will change the lives of a few for now but this is just the beginning. By helping Halki to become a green economy focused on sustainability, Citroën is paving the way for the future and is showing that electrification is the way forward”, adds Vincent Cobée.
Halki has become a ‘laboratory’ in Europe where green energy transition is being implemented with several partners which are all leaders in their fields of expertise such as Syngelidis Group, Vinci and Akuo Greece, to name a few.
“We are really glad to collaborate with the Island of Halki on this exceptional project. This collaboration is completely in keeping with the spirit of Citroën, an innovative and daring brand, closely connected with people in their daily lives and their mobility. We are committed to making electrification available to everyone and we believe that this is a source of progress within the society. We are very proud to contribute to the transformation of Halki island into an island which will be autonomous, smart and sustainable”, states Vincent Cobée, CEO of Citroën.
Following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Greek Government, Citroën/Syngelidis Group, Vinci and Akuo Greece, the lever has been activated to transform the island of Halki into a green economy. Citroën and Syngelidis Group which are in close collaboration with the Greek government, are undertaking all measures to transform Halki into an electric island that uses green energy. The aim is to make this progress available to all residents and businesses on the island.
One of the main challenges present in the automotive world today is electrification, however Citroën says it is keen on leading the way forward and wants the residents and public authorities to take full advantage of the electric vehicles which are being made accessible on the island.
«We are particularly happy and proud of the contribution of the Syngelidis Group and Citroën in this important project that takes place on the island of Halki. In line with the goals of reducing the climate footprint, set in the framework of the Action «Halki Green — Smart Island», we strongly support sensitivity shown by the Greek government, the French embassy and the French business community, and we undertake the task of promoting the zero emissions electric mobility,» states Mr. Polychronis Syngelidis, President of the Syngelidis Group.
