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Anaheim PD launches pilot for Tesla Model Y LR police cruisers

Credit: Unplugged Performance / Anaheim Police Department

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The Anaheim Police Department has officially launched its pilot program to test six Tesla Model Y vehicles as patrol cars, after photos of the outfitted cruisers were spotted last week.

On Monday, the department held a joint media event with Unplugged Performance to showcase the Tesla Model Y Long Range police units, in addition to the two parties both sharing brief videos about the pilot program. The Model Y police cruisers were outfitted by Unplugged Performance’s UP.FIT government and fleet division, with the pilot set to determine how reliable the vehicles are as patrol cars, and how cost-effective they are.

“Congrats to AnaheimPD on today’s announcement,” wrote Unplugged Performance in a post on X. “Choosing an UP.FIT Tesla provides best-in-class officer safety, driving performance, and the lowest total cost of ownership. We’re excited about this pilot program and the opportunity to create a better future together.”

You can see a roughly two-minute video of the vehicles below, as shared in a separate post from UP.

During the initial testing period, the Model Y units will only be driven for one patrol shift, or about 12.5 hours per day. The second phase of testing will include launching the electric vehicles (EVs) 24 hours a day, at which point the department says it will utilize Tesla Superchargers to charge when necessary during patrol shifts.

There are also Level 2 EV chargers at the Anaheim police station and at the agency’s public works headquarters, and they plan to use both of these locations to charge during initial testing.

“Because this is a pilot program, we do not want to make an infrastructure investment (in superchargers) until we know how the vehicles will perform and if they are something we want to fully integrate into our fleet,” Sergeant Jacob Gallacher told Teslarati in an email.

Below are a few additional photos of the Model Y police cruisers, courtesy of Unplugged Performance.

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Credit: Unplugged Performance / Anaheim Police Department

Credit: Unplugged Performance / Anaheim Police Department

The City of Anaheim shared an official press release announcing the program on Friday, noting that it purchased the vehicles from Tesla’s available inventory. The department also says the Tesla EVs, initially spotted during a photoshoot last week, were selected in part due to a shortage of vehicles and a need to replace old vehicles as quickly as possible.

The Model Y was also chosen due to its advanced features, rapid acceleration, large amount of storage capacity, affordability, and low maintenance requirements, all of which the department says are crucial for police operations. The agency will use results from the pilot to help determine future decisions as it begins introducing EVs into the fleet.

The news of the pilot program was also shared by Tesla’s North America account on X on Monday, after the company said in February that its standard tech could save police departments over $4,000.

Police departments around the world have been testing out Tesla’s vehicles as patrol cars in the last few years. Recently, Unplugged Performance’s UP.FIT program also outfitted police cruisers in South Pasadena, California, following the city’s announcement last year that it would replace its entire fleet with Tesla EVs.

Tesla Cybertruck gets a new gig as Oracle Police Cruiser

What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send your tips to us at tips@teslarati.com.

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Zach is a renewable energy reporter who has been covering electric vehicles since 2020. He grew up in Fremont, California, and he currently lives in Colorado. His work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, KRON4 San Francisco, FOX31 Denver, InsideEVs, CleanTechnica, and many other publications. When he isn't covering Tesla or other EV companies, you can find him writing and performing music, drinking a good cup of coffee, or hanging out with his cats, Banks and Freddie. Reach out at zach@teslarati.com, find him on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.

Elon Musk

Tesla scrambles after Musk sidekick exit, CEO takes over sales

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is reportedly overseeing sales in North America and Europe, Bloomberg reports.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla scrambled its executives around following the exit of CEO Elon Musk’s sidekick last week, Omead Afshar. Afshar was relieved of his duties as Head of Sales for both North America and Europe.

Bloomberg is reporting that Musk is now overseeing both regions for sales, according to sources familiar with the matter. Afshar left the company last week, likely due to slow sales in both markets, ending a seven-year term with the electric automaker.

Tesla’s Omead Afshar, known as Elon Musk’s right-hand man, leaves company: reports

Afshar was promoted to the role late last year as Musk was becoming more involved in the road to the White House with President Donald Trump.

Afshar, whose LinkedIn account stated he was working within the “Office of the CEO,” was known as Musk’s right-hand man for years.

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Additionally, Tom Zhu, currently the Senior Vice President of Automotive at Tesla, will oversee sales in Asia, according to the report.

It is a scramble by Tesla to get the company’s proven executives over the pain points the automaker has found halfway through the year. Sales are looking to be close to the 1.8 million vehicles the company delivered in both of the past two years.

Tesla is pivoting to pay more attention to the struggling automotive sales that it has felt over the past six months. Although it is still performing well and is the best-selling EV maker by a long way, it is struggling to find growth despite redesigning its vehicles and launching new tech and improvements within them.

The company is also looking to focus more on its deployment of autonomous tech, especially as it recently launched its Robotaxi platform in Austin just over a week ago.

Tesla officially launches Robotaxi service with no driver

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However, while this is the long-term catalyst for Tesla, sales still need some work, and it appears the company’s strategy is to put its biggest guns on its biggest problems.

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Tesla upgrades Model 3 and Model Y in China, hikes price for long-range sedan

Tesla’s long-range Model 3 now comes with a higher CLTC-rated range of 753 km (468 miles).

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Credit: Tesla China

Tesla has rolled out a series of quiet upgrades to its Model 3 and Model Y in China, enhancing range and performance for long-range variants. The updates come with a price hike for the Model 3 Long Range All-Wheel Drive, which now costs RMB 285,500 (about $39,300), up RMB 10,000 ($1,400) from the previous price.

Model 3 gets acceleration boost, extended range

Tesla’s long-range Model 3 now comes with a higher CLTC-rated range of 753 km (468 miles), up from 713 km (443 miles), and a faster 0–100 km/h acceleration time of 3.8 seconds, down from 4.4 seconds. These changes suggest that Tesla has bundled the previously optional Acceleration Boost for the Model 3, once priced at RMB 14,100 ($1,968), as a standard feature.

Delivery wait times for the long-range Model 3 have also been shortened, from 3–5 weeks to just 1–3 weeks, as per CNEV Post. No changes were made to the entry-level RWD or Performance versions, which retain their RMB 235,500 and RMB 339,500 price points, respectively. Wait times for those trims also remain at 1–3 weeks and 8–10 weeks.

Model Y range increases, pricing holds steady

The Model Y Long Range has also seen its CLTC-rated range increase from 719 km (447 miles) to 750 km (466 miles), though its price remains unchanged at RMB 313,500 ($43,759). The model maintains a 0–100 km/h time of 4.3 seconds.

Tesla also updated delivery times for the Model Y lineup. The Long Range variant now shows a wait time of 1–3 weeks, an improvement from the previous 3–5 weeks. The entry-level RWD version maintained its starting price of RMB 263,500, though its delivery window is now shorter at 2–4 weeks.

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Tesla continues to offer several purchase incentives in China, including an RMB 8,000 discount for select paint options, an RMB 8,000 insurance subsidy, and five years of interest-free financing for eligible variants.

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Tesla China registrations hit 20.7k in final week of June, highest in Q2

The final week of June stands as the second-highest of 2025 and the best-performing week of the quarter.

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Credit: Tesla China

Tesla China recorded 20,680 domestic insurance registrations during the week of June 23–29, marking its highest weekly total in the second quarter of 2025. 

The figure represents a 49.3% increase from the previous week and a 46.7% improvement year-over-year, suggesting growing domestic momentum for the electric vehicle maker in Q2’s final weeks.

Q2 closes with a boost despite year-on-year dip

The strong week helped lift Tesla’s performance for the quarter, though Q2 totals remain down 4.6% quarter-over-quarter and 10.9% year-over-year, according to industry watchers. Despite these declines, the last week of June stands as the second-highest of 2025 and the best-performing week of the quarter. 

As per industry watchers, Tesla China delivered 15,210 New Model Y units last week, the highest weekly tally since the vehicle’s launch. The Model 3 followed with 5,470 deliveries during the same period. Tesla’s full June and Q2 sales data for China are expected to be released by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) in the coming days.

https://twitter.com/piloly/status/1939897310328111556
https://twitter.com/Tslachan/status/1939955521970147756

Tesla China and minor Model 3 and Model Y updates

Tesla manufactures the Model 3 and Model Y at its Shanghai facility, which provides vehicles to both domestic and international markets. In May, the automaker reported 38,588 retail sales in China, down 30.1% year-over-year but up 34.3% from April. Exports from Shanghai totaled 23,074 units in May, a 32.9% improvement from the previous year but down 22.4% month-over-month, as noted in a CNEV Post report.

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Earlier this week, Tesla introduced minor updates to the long-range versions of the Model 3 and Model Y in China. The refreshed Model 3 saw a modest price increase, while pricing for the updated Model Y Long Range variant remained unchanged. These adjustments come as Tesla continues refining its China lineup amid shifting local demand and increased competition from domestic brands.

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