Buellton company creates electric personal patrol vehicle

By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

Trikke Professional Mobility, headquartered in Buellton, has announced the new Positron 72Volt Elite.

This is an electric all-wheel drive personal patrol vehicle that is designed to help police officers cover ground more efficiently without breaking a sweat.

Trikke Professional Mobility was founded in 2000 by Gildo Beleski.

“Mr. Beleski is the engineer and designer of the three wheel cambering mechanism, which he designed from a fitness standpoint in Brazil,” Cheyne Jetton of corporate sales for Trikke told the News-Press.

“The tight switchback hills of

Brazil gave him the inspiration for the movable arms in the mechanism. Mr. Beleski applied for his first patent in 1999 and received his first patents in 2001 and 2002.”

The original version was the body-powered version, which was featured on the cover of Time magazine. It began picking up traction in the early 2000s.

“Today we primarily serve law enforcement security. We launched the 48 Volt defender in 2015 and the 72 Volt Elite in January of 2021. These vehicles can go 45 mph-plus,” said Mr. Jetton. “Additionally these vehicles are essentially an all-terrain vehicle which can navigate grassy areas, down stairs, up and down escalators, in elevators and more.

“The vehicles are ADA- compliant and can be used indoors as well,” Mr. Jetton said. “We are used in some of the largest police departments and university police departments across the U,S,, as well as private security. Trikke vehicles are also in use in Puerto Rico, Europe, South America and the UAE.”

Trikke personal patrol vehicles provide a mounted solution to effectively patrol a large area, at less environmental impact and operational cost than driving an automobile, with an added capability for transporting cargo and supplies.

“All models 2015 and after were specifically designed and marketed for law enforcement and military application,” Mr. Jetton said. “Prior to 2015, these vehicles were not specifically designed for this application, but were sometimes used by law enforcement. You have to think of these vehicles as being used to increase patrol area. Now fewer officers can cover a larger area, decreasing response time. These vehicles are able to navigate crowded areas, where a car would not be able to.”

The vehicles are designed to increase constricted-area access and empower officers to better connect with their community, while saving money and increasing operational efficiency over foot patrol.

“These vehicles are much more comfortable for officers as opposed to sitting on a bike with a duty belt and full vest package,” Mr. Jetton said. “Additionally, they can tow trailers, and there is a firefighting version that has been developed. The technology is heading in a direction where batteries get better and better ...”

“The vehicles were designed to track straight,” he said. “The front wheel is a puller, and the rear wheels are pushers. It’s very stable.”

“This is a new way people are accepting. Segway did us a huge favor by opening the door to this possibility,” Mr. Jetton said. “Our customers are requesting additions such as GPS tracking and bluetooth. Norfolk Police Department in Virginia has bought every version that we have come out with, they have over 20 vehicles that they use. They continue to come back and they want what is new. We are branching into industries that we have never anticipated.”

Atlanta Police Chief Rodney

Bryant praised the new vehicle. “You can easily navigate through crowds to respond to an incident. Your imagination is the only limit to what these vehicles can do,”

The News-Press asked Mr. Jetton which local or state law enforcement agencies have implemented the technology.

“The biggest one is Bay Area Rapid Transit. They have 18 vehicles including the 72Volt Elite. We also have customers down in Los Angeles. Local law enforcement has been hesitant.”

“There is really a future for this,” Mr. Jetton said. “People will figure out new applications for this. We will continue to produce new versions, and I think that there will be completely different versions in just a year’s time.” email: kzehnder@newspress.com