Las Vegas recently put ten Tesla Cybertrucks in police colors on display along the strip. Drivers appear to be slowing down, tourists are pausing to take photos on their phones, and officers are hurrying to get behind the wheel of a vehicle right out of a science fiction film. These trucks are increasingly responding to actual emergencies, such as traffic stops on Fremont Street and rescue missions in Red Rock Canyon.
Ben Horowitz – a venture capitalist, and his wife – handed the whole fleet over. They went all out – the trucks got custom work, electronics package, the works. All the officers had to do was grab the keys and they were good to go. The lads over at Unplugged Performance worked their magic on the build through their UP.FIT branch. They replaced the plastic front and rear bumpers with steel plates, threw on a bull bar, 11-inch off road lights and a whole police kit. They also swapped the hood out for carbon fiber and plopped a 50-inch light bar on it – one that can be tilted from a joystick inside the cab.
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They’ve also installed side rock sliders down the length of the doors, updated the brakes and suspension to withstand chase speeds, and replaced the factory wheels with forged ones. Every cable for the sirens, radios, and cameras is meticulously hidden inside the frame, as if they were installed by Tesla themselves. A barrier separates the rear compartment, and shotgun racks are fastened in place. The 6-foot bed is fitted with various storage compartments for gear, medical supplies, and other necessities of a police truck.
The windshield and side windows are bullet-proof. The stainless steel doors can already withstand Tesla’s handgun bullets, so they are now safeguarded from front to rear. Officers can work behind all that armour without slowing down the truck. Each Cybertruck is equipped with the department’s drone hub link. When a call is received, the truck sends a signal to the control room, which displays live aerial video on the center screen. There is also face recognition software that monitors crowds in real time, as well as gunshot sensors that can determine where a round originated when fired.
The tri-motor Cyberbeast configuration provides all of the power it requires, allowing it to accelerate from 0 to 60 in 2.6 seconds and reach 130 mph. Four-wheel steering also allows for tighter turns than you might imagine, which is useful for handling those tight casino parking spaces. When they need to climb up in the desert or on the highway, the air suspension can be raised or lowered as needed.
They expect the vehicle to sit at a crime scene for hours on end without using a single drop of petrol. The government estimates that each truck will save between $8,800 and $12,000 per year on gas, plus $708 on oil and spark plugs. Over the course of five years, each vehicle will save at least $47,540. Next month, the Cybertrucks will begin full patrol cycles, with cops keeping track of every mile, charge, and pursuit. If the figures hold up, other cities will take a closer look. For the time being, Las Vegas has the only stainless steel squad in the country, and the strip has a new…well, it’s difficult to describe it as anything other than a mobile landmark.
