Several police departments in Southern California are already using Tesla Model Y EVs as patrol cars. Now, they might add the Cybertruck to their fleets. Unplugged Performance, a Hawthorne-based company on the SpaceX campus, has a fleet division called UP.FIT. The division modifies Teslas for police departments. It says it has received interest from multiple departments for its new Next-Gen Patrol Cybertruck.
While a neighbor of Tesla, Unplugged Performance is a separate company that offers bespoke and fleet Tesla customizations. It previously contracted with Anaheim’s police department by converting a fleet of Tesla Model Ys as part of a pilot program. The initiative arose from a global shortage of traditional police vehicles and aging police fleets nationwide. As KTLA 5 reported, Anaheim Police Chief Rick Armendariz said that the department sought alternative options, leading them to explore Tesla EVs.
Images of the world’s first Tesla Cybertruck police vehicle shared online have gone viral. Responses seem mixed. One said the car shouldn’t exist until at least 2050. Another suggested the CTs go to the National Park Service.
Elon Musk commented “cool” on someone’s image repost.
“Enhanced for public safety roles”
Ben Schaffer, CEO of Unplugged Performance, emphasized the UP.FIT Cybertruck’s engineering advancements. To KTLA 5, he called it a “significant leap into the future of policing.”
UP.FIT Fleet Director James Hedland highlighted that Cybertrucks are bulletproof from the factory. As such, they can be further enhanced for various public safety roles. This might include fire rescue, search and rescue, SWAT team engagement, and everyday policing. UP.FIT designs, builds, and installs custom components and systems based on client needs. It says it can’t share information about specific police departments interested in modified CTs.
The shift toward electric patrol cars certainly departs from traditional gasoline models like the Ford Crown Victoria, Chevrolet Tahoe, and Ford Explorer. It’ll be interesting to see whether Americans actually accept these CTs as public patrol cars. Plus, time will tell whether police departments run into similar issues as Hertz did. The rental car company is still in agonizing limbo with a fleet of Teslas it no longer wants. Hertz has publicly cited overhead costs, particularly regarding collision repairs.
