Northamptonshire Police gain innovative new police bikes
They are unlikely to be able to keep up with a stolen Fireblade, but the Northamptonshire Police’s fleet of hybrid electric motorcycles is here regardless
FOR many riders, an alternative to pure electric power seems like the best way to resolve the issue of what we ride in the coming years.
With hydrogen power still seemingly some way off, Northamptonshire Police have taken the bold step of opting for specially developed hybrid machines built by White Motorcycle Concepts.
The WMC300FR begins life as a Yamaha Tricity 300 and is steadily developed to not only serve as a police motorcycle but also run on hybrid power. Paired to the 300cc Yamaha petrol engine is an electric power unit that is claimed to reduce CO2 output by up to 50 per cent. Not only that, the economy of the machine is now boosted, with the hybrid bike boasting a claimed 104mpg. So, it might not be able to keep up with a 1,000cc sports bike, but it could just wait for it to run out of fuel!
Lem Freezer, Head of Transport and Logistics for both the police and fire services in Northamptonshire, thinks bikes like the WMC300FR could be the future for services like the police.
He said:
“Like all emergency services, we need to meet national objectives to reduce carbon emissions and move away from petrol and diesel-powered transport by 2030. The technology behind the design of the WMC300FR reduces emissions by up to 50 per cent compared with a comparable non-hybrid model.
“This, together with detachable batteries that can be charged using a standard three-pin plug, provides a versatile and cost-efficient transport solution, which can be deployed as part of the current fleet without the need for expensive charging infrastructure.”
Yamaha Tricity 300 video review
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
