Clovis PD now has the most electric police motorcycles on the road

The Clovis Police Department on Friday added two Zero Electric motorcycles to its fleet, which now numbers seven.

That makes it the largest fleet of Zero Electric police motorcycles in the United States, the department said.

Clovis police have had five Zero Electric motorcycles since 2014. The fleet of seven was bought through Ekhaus Fleet, a Clovis company. The motorcycles were purchased using money from the San Joaquin Air Pollution Control District’s Public Benefit Grant Program.

The motorcycles cost between $18,000 and $19,000 and are quiet and fast, said Tim Yopp, sales manager at Ekhaus Fleet. “And they have really, really low maintenance. There’s no valve jobs or anything like that.”

The electric motorcycles allow officers to patrol the streets, as well as bike paths and shopping centers. Clovis Police Services Officer Ty Wood said they are well suited for use at special events. “They can idle forever and you’re not coughing up exhaust as you walk past them,” he said.

Clovis also added two electric Ford Focus cruisers. They were bought from Future Ford with funding from the air district program. The cars will be used by support staff.

This story was originally published April 14, 2017 at 1:55 PM with the headline "Clovis PD now has the most electric police motorcycles on the road."