Gardaí to trial “ground-breaking” BMW electric vehicle in Ireland

You certainly wouldn’t miss it on the road, that’s for sure.

BMW Ireland will provide a “ground-breaking” BMW i3 to An Garda Síochána to pilot the practical implications of electric vehicles. The vehicle, which sports the traditional and instantly recognisable Garda livery, has been on display at Dublin’s RDS at the BT Young Scientist exhibition this week. The car in question, the pilot BMW i3 (94Ah), provides emissions-free driving with a pure electric range of 180kms in real-world driving conditions. Its agility makes it ideally suited for dense urban areas. There are 2,800 BMW i3s in Ireland (retailing from €36,510 to €49,160), making it one of the country’s largest commercial fleets. The manufacturing process of the i3 is derived from green power, such as wind turbines, and one of the world’s largest hydroelectric plants and uses a completely new purpose-built architecture with carbon-fibre reinforced plastic for the passenger cell. The interior, meanwhile, was created using sustainably sourced materials and up to 95% of the car is recyclable. “We are excited to provide our ground-breaking BMW i3 to An Garda Síochána,” said Anthony Casey, National BMW Corporate & Diplomatic Manager, BMW Group Ireland. "Every aspect of the i3 has been conceived for sustainability but at the same time it is extremely agile so it will certainly not escape the attention of the public on our roads." Main image: Colaiste Phobal Ros Cré (Tipperary) students (left to right): Sadhbh O'Grady (13), Adam Delany (14) and Shane Hickey (14).