AUSTIN, Texas - Austin police now have two electric patrol vehicles in their fleet. It's part of a pilot program, which will last six to 12 months.

The city says it will be more environmentally friendly and cost-efficient.

New APD electric patrol cars

The backstory:

"We test these vehicles first, and then we evaluate them in the field, and then, we take that feedback, and then phase and scale up from there," said Rick Harland, assistant director of Austin Fleet Mobility Services.

Manufactured by General Motors, the EVs can go up to 130 miles per hour and accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in four seconds.

They can run for 14 -16 hours at a time and are quieter than gas-powered ones.

The EVs are built for police use. The main difference between these and gas-powered ones is

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