The Toyota bZ4X has taken on its first “blue light” public service role, joining the fleet of one of London’s busiest parks police teams.

The all-electric SUV proved the ideal choice as a response car for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the fully liveried vehicle is now patrolling more than 28 parks, open spaces and cemeteries and providing community support at events such as the Notting Hill Carnival.

The Toyota’s environmental credentials were a prime consideration, the bZ4X producing no tailpipe emissions from its battery electric powertrain. Previously, the parks police used a diesel-powered car. The bZ4X also met the size requirements for the job, being able to manoeuvre comfortably through gateways and along routes in the borough’s public parks and it has all the load space necessary to carry the team’s kit and equipment.

The police team has accessed the vehicle through Toyota’s KINTO Leasing and Vehicle Management business. Its home base is Holland Park and it is used exclusively for operational purposes.

Councillor Emma Will, Lead Member for Parks and Leisure said: ”We are committed to becoming a greener borough and being net zero as a Council by 2030 and the new car for Parks Police is another step in the right direction. All our vehicles in our parks are now electric and we’re looking to expand our fleet elsewhere. Toyota has worked closely with our Parks Police team to ensure we got exactly what we needed.”

Neil Broad, General Manager Toyota One Fleet Services, said: “With its high quality, versatility and strong environmental credentials, we’re confident the bZ4X will prove its worth with the borough’s parks police and with many other public service fleet customers in the future.”