Metro to test battery-powered bicycle during patrols on Strip

Jace Radke

Monday, Oct. 1, 2001 | 8:42 a.m.

Metro Police bicycle officers on the Strip will test a new prototype electric bicycle designed to add power for pedaling after perpetrators.

Two bikes, valued at $1,800 apiece, were donated to Metro by Th!nk Mobility, a company that develops zero-emission vehicles for Ford. The bikes, given to Metro at the Interbike Trade Show at the Sands Convention Center, are the first of their kind to be used by any police force in the nation.

The bikes include battery packs that kick in with electrical power when they are pedaled, said Jennifer Banovetz, a spokeswoman for Th!nk.

"You can really feel the power surge when you're pedaling them," Banovetz said. "The battery propels the bike forward, making it much easier to pedal."

The bikes can reach a top speed of 20 mph and have a range of 25 miles before the six-pound battery needs to be recharged, Banovetz said. If the bikes run out of electricity, they can be ridden like a normal bicycle until recharged.

Metro Police spokesman Officer Tirso Dominguez said that the two bicycles will be used to patrol Las Vegas Boulevard South.

The bicycles are painted black and white with the word "police" emblazoned on the side, and even include a police light.

Banovetz said that more bikes could be available as early as January if the testing with Metro goes well.