We’ve seen police use tons of different vehicles here in India over the years, including the likes of Maruti Gypsys, Mahindra’s jeeps, Toyota Innovas, and even motorcycles like Bajaj Pulsars and Royal Enfields. However, the police of Gwent – a county in southeast Wales has taken it to a whole new level with the choice of its latest vehicle.
The police of Gwent have rolled out four ‘tuk-tuk‘ vehicles in Newport and Abergavenny to provide crime prevention advice, report incidents to and seek help from if someone feels unsafe. The tuk-tuk in question here is none other than the Mahindra Treo electric three-wheeler, which primarily serves as an e-rickshaw here in India.
“They were on show at our Behind the Badge day, giving local residents the opportunity to see them up close and to hear more about how they will be used. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive with parents telling officers that they would feel safer knowing that there was support for young people out at night, and from women who could think of an occasion when the tuk-tuk would have been a welcome sight,” said Chief Inspector Damian Sowrey.
Mahindra offers the Treo in India in two broad versions – the regular and Treo Yaari. While the former has a certified fully-electric range of 141 km and a 55 kmph top speed, the latter’s top speed is restricted to 25 kmph, and offers a range of 125 km on a single charge. The Treo gets a 7.37 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which can be fully charged in 3 hours and 50 minutes. In contrast, the Treo Yaari gets a smaller 3.69 kWh battery that takes 2 hours and 30 minutes to be fully charged.
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The pilot programme is being initiated by Dialogue and Development Commission (DDC) with the help of private power distribution companies and the public works department. Officials said the government had set a target of installing more than 5,000 kerbside EV chargers in the next three years.