I would have thought this was the path of least resistance (as well as doing less harm to the car owner) since they're getting a search warrant anyway.
The path of least resistance is skipping the search warrant and asking the owner politely, which the article indicates is what is happening.
But if that doesn't work, then preserving evidence is considered to be very important. For example, it would be a problem if the car owner deleted the video.
While I can see why the police would find it a problem, I don't like the idea that that means they get to potentially have 24/7 access to my property just so they can check.
They have Tesla (the company) unlock the car, then remove the drive. They already have the search warrant, which could compel Tesla to assist. They have a cop babysit the car until the seizure is completed, like they have to do anyway.
I would have thought this was the path of least resistance (as well as doing less harm to the car owner) since they're getting a search warrant anyway.