About three weeks ago, the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) began an investigation unlike any other in its history. It didn’t involve Yard robberies or disorderly conduct at Lamont—it wasn’t even listed in the police log.

Instead, officers set out to judge the performance of a police car that runs on natural gas—the likes of which could power HUPD’s entire fleet within a decade.

Ford Motor Co. and Key Span, a natural gas provider, invited Harvard to test-drive Ford’s Crown Victoria Natural Gas Vehicle for a three-week trial period that ended last week. The black unmarked police car is identical to the normal gasoline-run cars used by HUPD.

“It was a real exciting opportunity to finally have an alternative fuel vehicle here on campus to test and to determine if it would be practical to use on campus,” said David E. Harris Jr., general and financial manager of Harvard’s transportation services.

Driver’s Test

HUPD Sergeant Daniel Brown, who oversees the HUPD fleet and the testing of the trial car, said he received mostly positive feedback from the officers who drove it.

“The overall handling was exceptional, and it starts unbelievably—regardless of the weather,” Brown said. “I think it’s the wave of the future.”

Brown invited each of the officers who test-drove the car to e-mail him with their opinions of its performance. While most reactions were generally positive, some HUPD officials voiced complaints that were specific to their profession.

“[T]he rear end of the vehicle sags due to the weight of the tank in the trunk,” wrote HUPD fleet manager Frank DiRienzo in an e-mail to Brown. “I put two other people in it besides myself and it just about left the bumper on the sidewalk.”

Brown said this could present a problem for an officer with suspects or prisoners in the back seat.

Several officers also expressed concern that the gas tanks take up too much space in the trunk, where officers often store their supplies.

Harris said the most pressing issue in deciding when Harvard will integrate natural gas powered vehicles into its fleet is the availability of natural gas.

Right now, Harris said, the closest fueling station is in Newton or Arlington. While the cost of natural gas is about 30 percent cheaper than gasoline, Brown said HUPD cannot spend time sending officers far away for fuel.

Brown, however, said Key Span has plans to build in coming months a fueling station in Allston, which would provide a more accessible site for natural gas.

Although HUPD has no definitive plans to purchase any natural gas vehicles, Brown said he expects the 20-car HUPD fleet will be comprised of natural gas powered vehicles in six to seven years.

“It would have to be a slow transition,” said Brown, adding that Chief Francis D. “Bud” Riley—in conjunction with University officials—will have the final word as to whether HUPD purchases the cars.

It’s Only Natural

Harris said his department has been examining alternative fuel options in the past two years for all University vehicles.

“We’re trying to find other solutions that would be more environmentally friendly, make less noise and reduce greenhouse gases,” Harris said.

According to the website of the Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition (NGVC), the carbon content of natural gas is lower than that of any other fossil fuel. Natural gas vehicles decrease the amount of exhaust emissions.

There are about 130,000 of them currently in use in the U.S., and over two million internationally.

Harris said that compressed natural gas also offers a safer alternative to gasoline. It has been proven not to explode in accidents, and its fuel storage cylinders are more durable than gasoline tanks, according to the NGVC website.

In terms of cost, Harris said the natural gas vehicles tend to cost about $5,500 more than their gasoline-powered counterparts, but with a combination of incentives from the U.S. Department of Energy, Ford and Key Span, the cost would balance out.

Over the next few months, the University will also test a natural gas-powered Ford shuttle van, which assists disabled individuals during the day and is on-call to transport students at night.

Harris said he has not yet determined when Harvard will switch over to more environmentally-friendly fuels because the technology is changing so rapidly.

“It’s safe to say we’re exploring all the other alternatives out there—electric, biodiesel, hydrogen fuel cell,” he said. “As the cost relating to acquiring alternative fuel vehicles comes down and the infrastructure to support it increases, it makes it easier to acquire those vehicles.”

But until then, Harvard will stick to its traditional gasoline-powered vehicles.

Or, as HUPD would say, the investigation is ongoing.

—Staff writer Jenifer L. Steinhardt can be reached at steinhar@fas.harvard.edu.