by Christopher DeMorro

With the recent worldwide economic collapse, governments across the planet are looking to cut back on expenses, while at the same time going green. Hong Kong's police department, among other government agencies, is making the switch from gas-powered motorcycles to Brammo electric motorcycles.

The announcement follows a year-long trial that saw Brammo electric bikes hit the streets of Hong Kong. This is a big boon to both Brammo and electric motorcycle advocates, who insist that electric motorcycles high-cost is more than offset in fuel and maintenance savings. The Hong Kong Police Force currently employs a wide variety of vehicles, from Mercedes Sprinter vans to the Toyota Prius.

The deal with Brammo pledges to replace all the petrol motorcycles employed by the Hong Kong PF with Brammo Enertia Plus LE (Law Enforcement) models. The Enertia Plus model offers up to 80 miles of range, and the LE model has special equipment for law enforcement professionals. In addition, Hong Kong will also purchase Enertia Plus models for use by the Water Department.

Ashland, Oregon-based Brammo eventually expects 25 percent of their business to come from fleet orders like this, and many municipalities are considering electric vehicles as a way to offset increasing fuel costs. Hong Kong's experiment with Brammo electric motorcycles could go a long way towards convincing other governments across the planet to go electric.

While there are no figures on how much money or fuel this switch will save, I imagine that in the long run you're talking about hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars in savings. I am glad to see Brammo making progress like this, and it certainly bodes well for their future. Too bad it wasn't an American government agency that decided to make the switch instead...