- The Tesla Cybertruck’s been turned into a police car
- The Irvine Police Department took delivery of its police-spec Cybertruck
- The conversion to police spec was handled by UP.FIT
The world hasn’t gotten quite bad enough for the emergence of RoboCop, but the first police-spec Cybertruck has reported for duty in California.
In July the Irvine Police Department announced on Twitter (now known as X) it would soon take delivery of a Cybertruck. Months later, that Cybertruck is now a police utility vehicle based on a video on Facebook released on Tuesday by the Irvine Police Department.
The Irvine Police Department noted the Cybertruck would be part of its Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program and community outreach efforts. The truck will not be put into patrol or pursuit duty, but it can be used to respond to emergencies and assist the community when needed, according to the department.
UP.FIT, a division of Tesla tuner Unplugged Performance, transformed the Tesla and promoted the police-spec Cybertruck on Facebook.
UP.FIT unveiled a Cybertruck police cruiser in June, saying police departments and other agencies had already expressed interest, and that deliveries would start later this year.
Customers can spec typical police equipment, including radios and any other additional communications equipment, as well as prisoner partitions, storage for weapons and other equipment, and K9 enclosures, UP.FIT said when it unveiled the truck. The company also offers heavy-duty suspension and brake packages, as well as an off-road package.
Irvine Police Department Cybertruck police car via Unplugged Performance
Irvine Police Department Cybertruck police car via Unplugged Performance
While UP.FIT’s offering is an aftermarket conversion, Ford announced an electric police truck based on the F-150 Lightning in 2022, offered through the automaker’s Special Service Vehicle (SSV) factory upfit program. In 2021 the automaker, which has traditionally controlled a large share of the police market, showed a Mustang Mach-E police testbed, and subsequently announced that the NYPD had expressed interest in Mach-E police cars.
But other than small-scale tests, police departments have largely avoided EVs due to a lack of options for suitable vehicles, with cost being a major issue, according to a 2022 report. That changed in July when the City of South Pasadena converted its entire police fleet to electric Tesla Model 3s and Ys.
Note – This story was updated to reflect the police truck now being delivered to the Irvine Police Department
