Hutto Explores Tesla Cybertruck Police Test

Another Texas city is weighing whether the Tesla Cybertruck could work as a police vehicle. Hutto City Council has directed staff to return with a cost breakdown for testing three Cybertrucks with its police force and other city departments.

The item was on the council’s October 15 agenda, brought forward by Mayor Mike Snyder alongside council member Jerrel W. Reynolds. It is an early step: the city has not bought, leased or budgeted for any Cybertrucks, and no test has started. Staff are only being asked to come back with a proposal and the costs involved.

Hutto, a suburb northeast of Austin, is no stranger to Tesla, which has expanded its footprint in the city.

According to Community Impact, the comparison will weigh the city’s current patrol vehicles against the Cybertruck on what each costs to fuel and maintain, how long it lasts and what safety tech it offers. Staff were also told to account for charging infrastructure, repairs and parts availability, warranties, insurance, and data privacy and liability.

Reynolds said he bought a Cybertruck in April and has been tracking fuel, oil change and basic maintenance costs, finding the truck low maintenance. He also pointed to the Las Vegas Police Department, which he said has 10 Cybertrucks, and suggested Hutto contact it for more information. Las Vegas police unveiled their Cybertruck patrol fleet last year, after the trucks were donated to the department.

Snyder said collision avoidance assist and other Cybertruck safety tech would help the department, but that the decision will come down to cost.

“I think this is the future,” Snyder said. “Are we ready for the future today? I don’t know. It’s going to come down to what is the cost of the vehicles side by side.”

Council member Corina Zepeda said safety should get as much attention as savings.

“I’m in favor any time we can save money and improve safety,” Zepeda said. “In addition to the cost of maintenance and upkeep and charging, I want to make sure we take a really good look at how much this is going to improve city safety.”

Police departments elsewhere have already gone electric with Tesla. In Wisconsin, Green Bay police expanded their Model Y fleet after seeing major cost savings, while a Florida fire department is adding a Cybertruck as a brush truck.

Whether Hutto moves ahead with a test will depend on what staff’s cost comparison shows when it returns to council.

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