Wednesday 5th February 2014

US coast-to-coast drive for Tesla Model S

It's happened! Three days and three thousand miles in an EV

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Range, range, range, range. And charging infrastructure. Eventually, that's what EV discussion always boils down to. That and the battery life. Well Tesla now thinks it has shown a way round the issue by driving a pair of Model S saloons coast-to-coast across the US using its Supercharger network of quick chargers.

What a clean Model S look like

The 3,464 mile journey took 76 hours and used 1,197.8 kWh of electricity. Tesla is hoping to claim a world record for "lowest charge time for an electric vehicle travelling across the United States." The two cars (called Thunder and Lightning, in case you were wondering) were supported by two petrol powered support vehicles. As it turned out, the support vehicles struggled, one of them breaking down in South Dakota's freezing temperatures. Irony surely much appreciated by Mr Musk.

There are over 70 Supercharger sites currently in the US, able to replenish add 170 miles of range in 30 minutes. However they are only suitable for the Model S right now, unlike conventional rapid chargers.

Still it remains quite a feat for an electric car, and shows the infrastructure is developing (for Teslas at least!). In Europe, Tesla claims there are enough Superchargers to reach the Alps from Amsterdam, through Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Bu the end of March, Tesla reckons half of the German population will live within 200 miles of a Supercharger

[Source: Autoblog]

[bashful]

I look forward to our kids and grandkids not understanding why this is a big deal, like when you read old reports of driving a Rolls-Royce from London to Scotland in only three days.