The Bath Police Department has purchased its first hybrid vehicle; a 2020 Ford Explorer Limited Hybrid.

“As the City begins to look at our carbon footprint, we should be looking at ways to reduce it,” said Chief of Police Michael Field in a news release. “By purchasing a hybrid police vehicle, we believe it will significantly reduce our fuel usage and still allow us to serve the community well.”

The hybrid’s electric motor allows the gas engine to turn off while the car idles. Officer Brett McIntire estimates that the city will save more than $3,500 over the life of the vehicle in idling fuel costs.

“The oldest car in our fleet has a total of 9,229 running engine hours,” McIntire said in the release. “5,825 of those hours were spent idling. It burns nearly a half-gallon of fuel per hour when sitting at idle. The hybrid cruiser, on the other hand, burns less than a quarter gallon of fuel per hour while sitting at idle.”

McIntire said the department will keep track of the hybrid’s performance over the next year. If satisfactory, the department may decide to transition the rest of its six-car patrol fleet to hybrid models.

“Right now we replace a car every two years, when it has about 100,000 miles on it,” said McIntire. “Those are hard miles; lots of stop and go, different drivers, traffic stops; lots of wear and tear. Even though the hybrid was a bit more expensive to purchase, the engine hours saving by the electric motor should extend the life of the vehicle another year or so.”