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

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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/

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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♪♪♪

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