The Los Angeles Police Department's Bicycle Coordination Unit will begin field-testing Currie Technologies' IZIP Express electric bicycles at special events to determine their viability for patrol.

Currie supplied the unit with prototype models for initial evaluation a year ago. The company then modified the electric bicycle's components and design, incorporating feedback from officers.

The IZIP Express Police Edition features Currie's Evo-Drive 2.0, a patented dual planetary drive system with a 750-watt electric motor. The mid-frame, removable power system provides balance, a lower center of gravity and superior handling, according to the company.

Currie will present two IZIP Express Police Edition electric bicycles to the LAPD at a 9:30 a.m. ceremony on May 11. Larry Pizzi, Currie's president, will unveil the units and give them to Deputy Chief Terry Hara and Sgt. Matthew Bygum, who is in charge of the unit. The presentation will be made at the company's IZIP store at 609 Lincoln Blvd. in Venice, Calif.

"We are honored to have the opportunity to support the LAPD and the city of Los Angeles with their embrace of light electric vehicles, recognizing their duty of care to the environment as well as the citizens of Los Angeles," according to Pizzi.