The Cybertruck's key advantage is its strong, stainless steel body panels that can withstand multiple 9mm and shotgun rounds without penetration. The truck can be upgraded with NIJ Level 3 ballistic protection for additional officer protection against surprise attacks and during active operations, which should be standard in high-crime cities such as Los Angeles. No ballistic testing information has been released regarding the exterior window protection upgrade.
The Cybertruck also has acceleration of 0 to 60 mph in 2.6 seconds and 0 to 100 mph in 6.9 seconds, faster than standard police vehicles, allowing the vehicle to keep up with speedsters. Of course, EVs have their drawbacks. Repeated acceleration and high speeds quickly drain batteries and significantly reduce range.
The heavy-duty patrol option is another must-have, and includes a laptop mount, stealth communication antennas, shotgun/rifle mount, and a prisoner partition in the back seat. Critically, there is no mention of a waterproof, pathogen-resistant prisoner seat option, so cleaning up messes will be a hassle.
Teslas have other disadvantages that departments need to plan for. The vehicles typically use megacasting or gigacasting for their main bodies. Although stronger than assembled bodies, damage to the megacast structure from severe crashes is harder to repair, resulting in total vehicle losses that also increase insurance premiums. Another disadvantage is component failure due to faulty design. Police vehicles are often pushed to their limits in pursuits, which stresses components. Tesla suspension components have suddenly failed, but Tesla has aggressively denied warranty claims. Tesla parts are sometimes out of stock for months, resulting in long repair delays for some owners, exacerbated by the lack of dealer coverage in much of rural America.
Specific pricing has not been disclosed, but upgrades typically add over $30,000 to the cost of a vehicle, and Cybertrucks start at over $80,000. For comparison, a Ford Police Interceptor Utility Vehicle typically sells for $45-55K before upfitting. Deliveries of the Cybertruck Next-Gen patrol vehicle are expected to begin later this year.
Source: UP.FIT
