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Oracle founder Larry Ellison believes the Tesla Cybertruck could one day in the near future make for an ideal police vehicle.
Many police organisations around the world, including New Zealand’s, are in the process of tackling the question of electric cars, and whether they can fit into prime police roles.
In the last 18 months or so, we’ve seen police around the world trial all manner of electric vehicles, ranging from Ford Mustang Mach-Es, to Tesla Model 3s, to our own trial of the BMW i4. All reasonably ordinary, somewhat affordable EVs.
But, what if there’s a better way? A more sci-fi, Robo-Cop kind of way …
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Ellison [centre], pictured with Jimmy Spithill [left] and Tom Slingsby [right] at an America’s Cup match in Bermuda.
Tesla’s enormous, bombastic, and frankly strange electric ute, the Cybertruck, has been given the thumbs up for police duty by a fairly influential person; Oracle founder Larry Ellison.
Most familiar Down Under for his America’s Cup exploits, Ellison is also a noted Tesla shareholder. His company, Oracle, develops cloud technology for police departments, ranging from thermal cameras and other body-worn devices to management software.
Now, Ellison has his sights on developing a Tesla Cybertruck police vehicle. Speaking at the Oracle CloudWorld conference in Las Vegas, Ellison unveiled a render of the planned Cybertruck, which features bespoke police lighting and gratuitous Oracle branding.
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The Cybertruck’s aluminium bodywork would likely be quite the chore to repair following any nasty accidents in the line of duty.
“Our next-generation police car is coming out very soon. It’s my favourite police car. It’s my favourite car actually; it’s Elon’s favourite car,” said Ellison.
“It’s incredible; I don’t know too much about it … but, among other things, it’s very safe, very fast, it’s got a stainless steel body. And we don’t have to add cameras to it because we actually use their existing cameras and screen to put our application on it.”
The unveiling came as part of a wider Oracle announcement regarding a new first responder system that uses a combination of satellite and terrestrial technologies to reduce chances of drop-out, even during a natural disaster.
MATTHEW HANSEN/STUFF
Tesla has opened the doors to its second store in Auckland, featuring a huge car delivery area, parts area, and service center.
Whilst it’s worth taking Ellison’s enthusiasm for a Cybertruck police vehicle with a grain of reality-flavoured salt, it’s worth noting that the CEO is hardly the first person to show an interest in drafting the Cybertruck into their police fleet.
According to reports, Mexico’s Ciudad Valles Police have ordered a batch of Cybertrucks, the Dubai Police have ordered at least one Cybertruck, and Ontario Provincial Police expressed interest in collaborating with Tesla CEO Elon Musk over developing a Cybertruck police vehicle.
The Mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma, G.T. Bynum, even once said he would order a fleet of Cybertrucks for his local police department if Tesla chose Tulsa as a location for its next US factory.
Sadly, or not-so-sadly depending on your Cybertruck thoughts, Tesla’s angular electric pick-up is highly unlikely to appear in New Zealand in police garb. The model has yet to be confirmed in right-hand drive, with pundits tipping that it may only be offered in the US.
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