Tesla’s trouble moving the Cybertruck in any meaningful quantity on US soil is by now thoroughly documented. Before the electric pickup ever reached a showroom, Elon Musk boasted that Tesla could move as many as 500,000 a year. The reality has been less kind. In 2025, American buyers took home just over 20,000 of them.

While it seems the Cybertruck has lost a lot of its initial luster in the US, it is slowly being introduced in other markets. One of them is Kazakhstan, where a handful are being used by government departments, proving that the car’s controversial design does have its perks.

Read: Unplugged’s $18K Cybertruck Package Adds What Tesla Left Out

In mid-May, a matte black Cybertruck served the State Security Service during the Summit of the Organization for Turkic States, held in Kazakhstan’s Turkistan region. Fitted with flashing blue and red lights, the Tesla was reportedly donated to the authorities by a local entrepreneur.

It started out as a mobile command center, and from here it will take on a central role at major security events across the country, handling field coordination between units and providing communications support.

A Second Cybertruck

This isn’t the only Cybertruck roaming the roads of Kazakhstan. The Ministry of Emergency Situations has folded one into its fleet too, this one wrapped in matte white with orange and blue graphics. According to vice minister Yerbolat Sadyrbayev, the truck has proven itself capable of tackling the treacherous terrain of the country’s mountainous Almaty Region.

🇰🇿 The future has arrived in #Kazakhstan’s spiritual capital – #Turkistan#Cyber-police are patrolling the Turkic States Summit @Turkic_States #Cybertruck @Tes @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/ofKCXROnli

— Consulat général du Kazakhstan à Strasbourg (@KazStrasbourg) May 14, 2026

“Our ministry deals with situations where assistance must be provided as quickly as possible and every minute counts,” Sadyrbayev told Kazinform. “The Cybertruck has proven to be highly effective in responding to various emergency situations. We are talking about saving people’s lives.” The minister added that the government plans to add more Cybertrucks to its fleet, although he didn’t specify how many.

At this stage, it seems Tesla will take any Cybertruck order it can get. With US sales sliding from 39,965 in 2024 to just 20,237 in 2025, the company has been eager to sell the truck wherever there’s an appetite for one, even if it’s just for show. Earlier this year, it even started selling the electric pickup in the Middle East.

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The humble delivery van has come a long way. Kia’s PV5, until recently best known as a versatile electric workhorse, has been seconded into law enforcement. The company has signed on with the Korean National Police Agency to build a high-tech, AI-equipped patrol vehicle that also happens to carry a drone.

Visually, the PV5 already looks the part with its futuristic LEDs and sleek surfacing. For its new role, it wears a police livery with blue and yellow graphics over its black and white bodywork. The biggest party trick, though, is the roof extension housing an integrated drone station.

More: Kia Brought Its Electric Van To America As Something New York Actually Needs

When the PV5 pulls up to a scene, a section of the roof opens and an automated AI police drone takes flight. It handles aerial patrol in tight alleys and hazardous areas, the sort of places where the van itself, and indeed the officers, cannot or should not go.

The drone carries thermal imaging and a 90x zoom camera, useful kit for tracking suspects or finding missing persons. Once the job is done, it flies back to its dock and recharges using the van’s V2L system. As for the PV5 itself, no changes have been reported to the battery or electric powertrain.

More: Texas PD Tests Model Y To See If Gas SUVs Really Cost Up To $12,000 More A Year

The roof structure also carries three AI-powered cameras providing 360-degree coverage with no blind spots. The software is clever enough to identify suspects by clothing or accessories, working through a crowd in real time and flagging up potential matches.

The AI can also detect specific threats like weapon-carrying individuals or injured citizens who may have fallen on the ground. It even includes crowd density monitoring to alert authorities for potential overcapacity risks in public spaces.

More: Ford Owns America’s Police Lot, So Ram Built A Pursuit Truck For The Gap Ford Ignored

The police-prepped Kia PV5 is scheduled to begin pilot operations in June 2026. It will be part of the Metropolitan Preventive Patrol Unit of the South Korean police force, focused on crime prevention and rapid response.

While this particular AI patrol vehicle is exclusive to Korea, it will be interesting to see whether the PV5 will serve as a base for police conversions in other parts of the world.