Famed Tesla tuner Unplugged Performance has just unveiled a heavily modified Model Y perfect for police vehicle duties.
The new vehicle has been brought to life by the tuner’s UPfit fleet division and was unveiled at the Tesla Takeover event in San Luis Obispo, California last weekend. A plethora of changes have been made to the Model Y and Unplugged Performance will deliver vehicles like this to police in South Pasadena, California who have committed to replacing their entire police fleet with EVs.
Kicking off these upgrades is an overhauled front fascia where there is a new steel bull bar and flashing blue and red lights just below the opening of the hood. The Tesla is rocking new LED lights on the front quarter panels. Unplugged Performance has also equipped the Model Y with a set of aftermarket gloss black wheels and wrapped them in all-terrain tires to add to the EV’s versatility.
The police cruiser also features the customary flashing lights on the roof, together with blue and red lights on the side skirts. Meanwhile, the interior has been completely overhauled for policing duties and includes panels to separate police sitting up front from any criminals they’ll load into the second row.
Read: Brand-New Model Y Owner Discovers Tesla’s Quality Control Is Lacking
Unplugged Performance believes that EVs are perfect for police forces, noting that combustion-powered police cruisers spend most of their time idling to ensure all their critical onboard electronics remain operable. In fact, the tuner says 60% of all gas burned in combustion police vehicles occurs during idling. By comparison, an EV can power all onboard electronics while only draining the battery pack at a very slow rate.
“In our 10 years of innovation on Tesla platforms our role has always been to push the limits, be it in motorsports, consumer applications, complete custom vehicles, and now with fleet upfitting for Police Departments,” Unplugged Performance chief executive Ben Schaffer said. “There is no doubt in our mind that the most capable, safest, most comfortable environment for an officer to spend the bulk of their day is inside a properly equipped Tesla police car. Unplugged Performance has the deepest expertise in developing holistic integrated solutions that work seamlessly with the unique Tesla ecosystem. We’re excited to introduce our UPfit division for Tesla Police Vehicles and are confident we represent the best choice for taxpayers and police officers alike.”
