Essex Police will soon have a faster and more economical fleet of vehicles following a decision to replace existing engines with new diesel powered models.
The new vehicles are faster than their petrol equivalents and also give out less nitrogen oxide emissions.
Head of transport, John Gorton, said: "There is a common perception that diesel cars have the power and performance of a tractor and the personality of a boulder, but these are surpassing their petrol equivalents.
"We've looked at other alternatives such as LPG, and found that common diesel gives all the advantages of efficient fuel without extra load."
The force currently has around 750 vehicles, which cost £1.8million a year to fuel. Although the new cars are slightly more expensive, they use between 20 an 30 percent less fuel.
Published Tuesday, July 1, 2003
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