Law Enforcement Goes Green in Ford Crown Victoria Flex Fuel

Ford Motor Company, which manufactures more than 80 percent of the police vehicle market, will help the nation's Black & Whites go green. The automotive giant recently announced its new 2008 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor will be offered as a flexible fuel vehicle capable of running on either E85 or gasoline.

The new 2008 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor is equipped to run entirely on E85. Credit: www.autodeadline.com

As police and government agencies begin to seek alternatives to conventional gasoline vehicles, Ford will help them become more environmentally friendly. "The ability to offer an E85-capable vehicle to our police customers is significant," said Gerald Koss, Ford's fleet marketing manager. "Many municipalities and states across the country are encouraging, if not mandating, that their police and other government fleet vehicles begin using alternative sources of fuel. We can now help our police fleet customers achieve this goal."

Ford reported that government agencies that utilize the new flex-fuel cruiser on their annual Department of Energy plan will be eligible for credits toward EPACT mandates. The company also announced that it has achieved fifty-state certification for its entire Ford and Mercury flex-fuel passenger car lineup. Ford will now differentiate flexible fuel vehicles from conventional gasoline vehicles by equipping the former with yellow gas caps.

"Ethanol is one way in which we can help lessen America's dependence on foreign oil," Koss said. "In addition to our flexible fuel vehicles, fleets looking to go green can also choose from two hybrid models, the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner, as well as a number of Ford PZEV (partial zero emissions vehicles) models."

Fleets can immediately place orders for the E85-powered Crown Victoria Police Interceptor. Production is slated to begin this month.