The World's First All EV Police Fleet! | South Pasadena PD's Sgt. Tony Abdalla & Ben Schaffer of Unplugged Performance!

MotorTrend's Ed Loh & Jonny Lieberman chat with Sgt. Tony Abdalla of South Pasadena Police Department & Ben Schaffer of Unplugged Performance! South Pasadena PD is about to become the first law enforcement agency in the WORLD to switch to all EV fleet! And they've teamed up with Ben Schaffer at Unplugged Performance to engineer them into fortified Police Cruisers! The guys discuss the why Tesla was the undisputed choice, what went into the vetting process, misinformation, indisputable data, as well as specifics on the uses, builds & function! 4:18 - Tony's been working on the EV project since 2005! 5:57 - Why the Tesla Model Y? 10:09 - Why SPPD teamed up with Unplugged Performance. 13:05 - Vetting. Other vehicles considered & important deciding factors. 18:06 - Why Tesla was the undisputed choice. 19:51 - Fake news. 21:58 - Proposition - Leasing solution - $1.3 million for 10 Model Y & 10 Model 3. 26:02 - Power grid disruption misconceptions. "I think in any circumstance, it's a fair argument to say that EVs are in a pretty favorable position for any type of disruption." - Ben. 27:25 - Model 3 Buildouts. Where does the siren go? 33:28 - Model Y Buildouts. 43:25 - Background on Unplugged Performance. 45:32 - Is the glass roof an issue? What about antennas? 47:52 - What about the prisoner area? 50:27 - Key cards, app, or key fobs? 56:45 - Uses for Sentry Mode & Dash Cam Mode. 01:01:13 - Cost Savings! 01:12:42 - Rollout coming mid June 2023! 01:13:37 - Charging & shift changes. 01:19:49 - Skeptical officers? 01:26:29 - Exterior design? 01:33:57 - In the car chase capital of the world, how do you handle car chases? 01:38:40 - Sustainability & Health Benefits. 01:42:05 - Can't fight the data! 01:42:57 - What will policing look like with Autonomous vehicles? 01:45:47 - The bottom line.