The Michigan State Police has acquired a 2024 battery electric Ford Mustang Mach-E for duty with its State Security Operations Section. MSP said in a release the Mach-E will be used by state properties security officers, who are armed, uniformed members of the agency who specialize in general law enforcement and security services at state-owned and leased facilities in the Lansing area.

“This is an exciting opportunity for us to research, in real time, how a battery electric vehicle performs on patrol,” said Col. James F. Grady II, director of the MSP. “Our state properties security officers patrol a substantially smaller number of miles per day than our troopers and motor carrier officers, within city limits and at lower speeds, coupled with the availability of charging infrastructure in downtown Lansing, making this the ideal environment to test the capabilities of a police-package battery electric vehicle.”

The agency will be issuing an evaluation of the vehicle's performance. State police spokesman Mike Shaw told the Free Press the Mach-E test period before publishing the evaluation is undecided.

“We began testing battery electric vehicles in 2022, but up until now hybrids were the only alternative fuel vehicle in our fleet,” said Lt. Nicholas Darlington, commander of the Precision Driving Unit. “Adding this battery electric vehicle to our patrol fleet will allow us to study the vehicle’s performance long-term to determine if there is a potential for cost savings and broader applicability within our fleet.”