Tesla Model Y vehicles upfitted into police patrol cars by Unplugged Performance are electrifying Anaheim Police’s patrol fleet.
Police departments around the country are rapidly turning to electric vehicles to replace their patrol cars.
There are now several options that fit police’s needs in terms of size, range, and acceleration for patrol vehicles, and the fuel savings are making it a no-brainer.
Tesla’s Model Y is already the most popular EV for consumers and it might be becoming the most popular for police departments too.
We reported on the South Pasadena Police Department buying 10 Model Ys for their own fleet.
The Somerset PD was one of the first police departments to buy a Model Y to use as a police patrol, and they believe that a single Model Y could save them $80,000 over 10 years due to gas savings and lower maintenance costs.
Now, we learn that the Anaheim Police Department is also going electric with Model Y. The department announced that it bought 6 Tesla Model Ys and had them upfitted for patrol by Unplugged Performance:
National supply chain issues, aging patrol vehicles, and delivery delays of newly purchased patrol cars have caused a significant vehicle shortage in the Anaheim Police Department’s fleet. The department sought out a creative way to quickly acquire patrol cars. Tesla presented a unique opportunity to procure six (6) Model Y’s from available inventory and upfit them for patrol duty through their associated vendor, UP.FIT, a division of Unplugged Performance.
The police department said that the Model Y’s specs fit their needs:
The Tesla Model Y was selected for its advanced features, including rapid acceleration, ample storage capacity, affordability, and low maintenance requirements, all of which are integral to police operations. With state-of-the-art technology and safety features, in addition to an expansive supercharging network throughout the city, these vehicles will enable officers to respond swiftly to incidents and effectively engage with the community.
The Anaheim Police Department says that it will use these vehicles during the pilot program period to evaluate “the performance, reliability, and cost-effectiveness of the Model Y in various operational settings” and use the data to determine how they will go electric.