California Police Spent $150,000 On A Souped Up Tesla Cybertruck

Forbes

A California police department that became one of the first law enforcement agencies to purchase a Tesla Cybertruck spent more than $150,000 on the vehicle after $20,000 of additional customizations, according to public records obtained by Forbes.  Read the full story on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahemerson/2024/09/10/california-police-spent-150000-on-a-souped-up-tesla-cybertruck/  Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1  Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:  https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript  Stay Connected Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes More From Forbes:  http://forbes.com  Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.

Transcript

00:00Today on Forbes, California police spent $150,000 on a souped-up Tesla Cybertruck.

00:09A California police department that became one of the first law enforcement agencies to purchase a Tesla Cybertruck

00:15spent more than $150,000 on the vehicle after $20,000 of additional customizations,

00:21according to public records obtained by Forbes.

00:25In July, Irvine police teased their Cybertruck acquisition on X,

00:30later telling the Los Angeles Times that it was, quote,

00:33"...something fun to outreach to capture the attention and imagination of the community."

00:38Invoices show the department opted for the most expensive CyberBeast model,

00:43which primarily touts greater horsepower and range than the regular Cybertruck.

00:48On top of the vehicle's $99,990 retail price,

00:52Irvine police also paid an extra $20,000 for the, quote,

00:56"...Foundation Series Package,"

00:58an upgrade that allowed buyers to receive their vehicles sooner,

01:02with so-called premium accessories like laser-etched cabin graphics,

01:06a glass-roof sunshade,

01:08full self-driving, supervised,

01:10and an attachable bottle opener.

01:13Sgt. Cary Davies told Forbes the Foundation Series was the only make available at the time.

01:19Davies says that the Cybertruck won't be used for patrolling

01:22and will instead become part of the department's Drug Abuse Resistance Education,

01:26or DARE, unit.

01:28Davies said, quote,

01:30"...it's something we can highlight at our events where kids can come and take pictures."

01:35According to Davies, the truck was paid for using the city's, quote,

01:39"...fleet funds account."

01:42Tesla's Cybertruck had already been recalled four times

01:45when Irvine police bought theirs in May.

01:48Reports from other buyers showed that the model,

01:51which Davies called, quote,

01:53"...a cool showpiece,"

01:54displayed a number of flaws,

01:56including a faulty accelerator pedal assembly,

01:58trim that came loose and risked flying off,

02:01and windshield wipers that stopped working,

02:03increasing the risk of a crash.

02:06A separate invoice obtained by Forbes

02:08reveals the department also paid $20,000

02:11to a Tesla customization company called Unplugged Performance

02:15for the installation of unspecified, quote,

02:17law enforcement equipment,

02:19such as car lighting, radios, and exterior graphics.

02:23The company offers a service called UpFit,

02:26which, according to ABC7 News,

02:28can facilitate, quote,

02:30"...specialty tool and weapon storage,

02:32prisoner partitions, and canine enclosures,"

02:35and also offers Internet access through SpaceX's Starlink.

02:40Text messages between an Irvine Police Department graphics designer

02:43and Unplugged Performance's James Hedlund,

02:45who launched the UpFit program for police,

02:48according to his LinkedIn profile,

02:50show them coordinating a custom car wrap

02:52for the Cybertruck in July.

02:54In one message,

02:55Hedlund shared a link to photos of a Cybertruck

02:58that the shop had designed

02:59to look like a P-51 Mustang bomber plane.

03:02Hedlund did not respond to a comment request.

03:06Irvine is not the only police department

03:08to consider adding Cybertrucks to its fleet.

03:11In January,

03:12the official ex-account

03:13for the Rosenberg, Texas, Police Department

03:15tweeted at Tesla CEO Elon Musk,

03:18asking, quote,

03:19"...what do you think, at Elon Musk,

03:21will the hashtag Cybertruck make a good police vehicle?"

03:25Musk responded with the 100% emoji.

03:28Elsewhere, police in Dubai added Cybertrucks

03:31to their, quote,

03:32"...Tourist Police Luxury Patrol Fleet in June."

03:35That same month,

03:36the Anaheim Police Department began a pilot program

03:39that deployed a fleet of Tesla Model Y patrol cars,

03:42also, quote,

03:43"...upfitted by unplugged performance."

03:46The Irvine PD already has two tank-like armored vehicles

03:50designated for use, quote,

03:52"...during high-risk incidents,

03:53special events, and community outreach."

03:56In 2023, the city of Irvine declared that it was the,

04:00quote,

04:01"...safest city of its size for violent crime

04:03for the 18th year running."

04:06The agency said it has no current plans

04:08to purchase another Cybertruck.

04:10One police employee wrote to an acquaintance

04:13in a text message obtained by Forbes, quote,

04:16"...what did you think about the Cybertruck?

04:18I hated it until I rode in it."

04:21The other person replied, quote,

04:23"...absurd."

04:25For full coverage,

04:26check out Sarah Emerson and Emily Baker White's piece

04:29on Forbes.com.

04:32This is Kieran Meadows from Forbes.

04:34Thanks for tuning in.

04:38♪♪♪

Category

Transcript

Recommended