Juice flows to new 2013 Zero Motorcycles Police Model [w/video]

Any "CHiPs" fanatic who has ever wondered what it'd be like for Ponch and Jon to not have to yell over their Kawasaki bike engines, it's Zero Motorcycles to the rescue. The California-based maker of electric-powered motorcycles made a version of its DS available for police work last year and is expanding that option to the S model. Zero says it plans to boost production of police- and security-oriented bikes because more squads in Asia, Europe and South America are "taking interest" in electric-powered motorcycles.

The good news is that the 2013 versions of the DS and S are about twice as powerful as the 2012 variants and can go about 10 percent further on a full charge. The DS and S can each handle 120 miles of city driving and about 75 miles of highway driving on a single charge. Beefier tires, updated styling and more on-board storage are also part of the Police/Security DS and S lines. The motorcycles can also be recharged via the CHAdeMO fast-charging standard.

Zero Motorcycles' work with the Thin Blue Line dates back to at least 2011, when both the police squads in London and Scotts Valley, CA, ran trial tests with an electric-powered Zero DS. Scroll down to watch video of the new machine in action and listen to Officer Francis Poncherello David Ball discuss the tactical advantages of a quiet drivetrain, along with the official Zero Motorcycles' press release.