Elon Musk suggests Tesla’s bulletproof Cybertruck could make for good police vehicle

Tesla chief Elon Musk has agreed with a post on his social media platform X – formerly Twitter – that the company’s recently launched Cybertruck would make for a good police vehicle.

“[Will] the Cybertruck make a good police vehicle? It’s still hard to find new vehicles to replenish our older police units,” a Texas police department official asked in a post on X, tagging Mr Musk.

The Tesla boss responded with the “100” emoji, indicating his strong approval.

Tesla launched its highly anticipated Cybertruck – dubbed “an armoured personal carrier from the future” – at a delivery event in December 2023, years after Mr Musk first teased the vehicle back in 2019.

The truck’s unique angular body is made of stainless steel alloy developed by Tesla with the multibillionaire calling the vehicle the “most unique thing on the road”.

The company said the pickup truck can carry over a ton in its bed and tow over 5,000kg (11,000 pounds) at the event where the prices and features of different versions of the pickup vehicle were also revealed.

“Finally the future will look like the future,” Mr Musk told attendees at the event, adding that full-scale production of the truck is due to kickstart in early 2024.

At the highly anticipated event, the Tesla boss also invited the company’s chief designer Franz Von Holzhausen to re-demonstrate the toughness of the Cybertruck – a demo that was botched in 2019.

Tesla previously demonstrated Cybertruck’s bulletproof capabilities, with Mr Musk saying the vehicle was resistant to different calibres of ammunition, but whether the pickup truck is truly bulletproof is still a matter of debate.

With several police units in the US already incorporating Tesla electric cars in its fleet, the Cybertruck may also find takers in the force.

At Oracle’s CloudWorld conference last year, the software company’s founder Larry Ellison – also a Tesla board member until mid-2022 – called the Tesla Cybertruck a “next-generation police vehicle.”

Mr Ellison said Oracle would load software onto Tesla’s new pickup vehicle, which he said is safe, fast, and loaded with a bulletproof stainless steel exoskeleton, Quartz first reported.

While the all-electric vehicle has impressive toughness and towing abilities, experts have also warned that the its unique angular design and strong steel exterior could be dangerous to other vehicles and pedestrians.

“The big problem there is if they really make the skin of the vehicle very stiff by using thick stainless steel, then when people hit their heads on it, it’s going to cause more damage to them,” Adrian Lund, the former president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety told Reuters.

However, Mr Musk dismissed the safety claims saying the “Cybertruck will be much safer per mile than other trucks, both for occupants and pedestrians.”