Code Enforcement Officer Melanie Adkins uses the Nissan Leaf. Image courtesy of City of Kingsport.
The Kingsport (Tenn.) Police Department has added a black-and-white Nissan Leaf police car for non-patrol functions.
The department assigned the Leaf to its code enforcement officer, Melanie Adkins. The Leaf is not pursuit rated, and has been in service for about a month.
The agency believes its Leaf is the first completely electric, zero-emissions, fully marked police vehicle put into service in the U.S. This vehicle was purchased in part by funds from a State of Tennessee Emissions Reduction grant.
The Nissan Leaf has an advertised range of more than 125 miles between charges and can be recharged cheaply.
This new police car is one of three Nissan Leafs in use by the City of Kingsport. Kingsport employees use two additional Nissan Leafs, with one assigned to the Water Department and the other placed in the fleet motor pool.
These zero-emissions vehicles are one aspect of the City of Kingsport’s "Going Green Initiative." There are also more than 30 gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles currently being driven by City of Kingsport employees in the performance of their daily responsibilities. Furthermore, the city claims to have the largest propane-powered fleet in the State of Tennessee, with more than 40 propane-fueled vehicles in service.
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