Interior ministry targets full electric police fleet by 2035

The interior ministry said Thursday it will replace all newly purchased or leased police vehicles with electric or hydrogen models by 2035. The national police force currently operates about 17,600 vehicles across the country.

As of the end of June, 2,185 police cars were electric or hydrogen-powered. The agency purchases or leases an average of 1,908 new vehicles annually, and the new plan mandates that future acquisitions be eco-friendly except for certain special-purpose units.

To demonstrate the feasibility of the transition, the ministry designated the Gangnam Police Station in southern Seoul as the first eco-friendly security office. Under this pilot project, 22 internal combustion engine vehicles operated by local precincts will be replaced with electric models, and the station will install nine rapid chargers across six precincts.

The interior ministry, the Ministry of Climate Energy and Environment, and the National Police Agency signed a business agreement on July 30 to formalize the collaboration. The climate ministry plans to expand this pilot program to other police stations and public institutions while continuing to identify large-scale demand in the private sector.

Acting Police Chief Yoo Jae-seong called the designation a model case for citizens to experience national environmental policies firsthand and pledged to discover additional eco-friendly security offices in the near future.

Interior Minister Yoon Ho-joong emphasized that addressing the climate crisis requires the entire public sector to take the lead, pledging to cooperate closely with related agencies to rapidly push forward the conversion of government official vehicles.