Tempe Police to consider electric motorcycles for daily use

TEMPE, Ariz. — Tempe Police motorcycles could soon be going green if a city councilwoman has her way.

Councilwoman Lauren Kuby is urging the department to replace its motorcycle fleet with electric motorcycles because she said the bikes could have a lot of benefits for the city, including zero emissions.

“It’s a machine whose time has come, it’s no longer something we’re looking to develop and in ten years’ time they’re here,” she said.

Kuby said she has been looking into the technology, particularly from a company called Zero Motorcycles, and said it’s plausible for police departments.

“The technology has really made significant gains in the past few years,” she said. “Right now these electric motorcycles have nearly a 170-mile range.”

According to Zero Motorcycles, the costs for a single recharge ranges between 32 cents and $1.72 depending on which model a department purchases.

The Tempe Police Department said it has begun looking into the idea of using electric motorcycles, but Lt. Mike Pooley said it is a slow process.

“Right now we’re in the very beginning stages of looking at what an electric motorcycle can do for our department,” he said.

Some officers have already had taken a spin on the cycles.

Pooley said Tempe’s force would look to other departments that have made the switch, such as the Los Angeles Police Department, to learn the pros and cons of electric motorcycles.