Smokey may be going all-electric, at least for traffic control and parking.
The 2022 Chevrolet Bolt will include a factory-installed Special Service Vehicle package (SSV). This will make them a great option for law enforcement agencies who are looking to move towards EVs. The plug-in family will not likely be used to chase high-speed vehicles – according to GM fleet terminology, SSVs are used as police pursuit vehicles (PPVs), while GM’s Bolt EUVs are faster and more difficult.
Chevrolet did not have to make any changes to prepare the mild-mannered Bolt and Bolt EUV to civil service. GM Authority states that the SSV package contains two additional electrical circuits. One is 20 amps, and the other 30 are for police radios and strobe lights. Bolt SSV families will include a surveillance mode, which cuts both interior and exterior lights to maximize nighttime-stakeout camouflage.
The range of EVs doesn’t decrease with the switch to meter-mobile. Bolt SSV is capable of traveling 259 miles without charging, while Bolt EUVSSV can travel 247 miles. The non-pursuit law enforcement vehicles are clearly intended for support duties. They can travel at 93 miles an hour.
SSV-packaged EVs can only be ordered for fleets or government orders. They are equipped very sparsely to please civilian oversight committees. The standard SSV comes with 16-inch steel wheels. Also, the Comfort, Driver Confidence or Convenience packages are not available. These include leather, blind spot monitoring, heated seats, and other amenities. The Bolt SSV comes with a power driver seat with four-way adjustablelumbar.
The Bolts weren’t the first electrified vehicle offered to government agencies. Ford offered the Police Responder sedan, a cop-ified Fusion hybrid. It was available until 2020. The Explorer-based Police Interceptor Utility hybrid replaced it. Some municipalities use EVs such as the Nissan Leaf to control traffic and park duties. However, the Bolt and Bolt EUV are the first all-electric police vehicles.