A Tesla Model S has reportedly been driven 452.8 miles (728.7 km) on a single charge in a feat that, according to driver Bjørn Nyland and the World Record Academy, sets a new world record for an electric production car.
The all-wheel drive Model S P85D used has a quoted range of 305 miles (491 km).
Nyland makes YouTube videos about his Tesla cars and the trips he takes in them. He recently quit his job to focus on his channel full-time, and he also recently won a Tesla Model X by becoming the first person to refer ten people to buy a Model S via the company's referral program.
The hypermiling trip began and ended at a supercharger station in Rødekro, Denmark. Nyland tells Gizmag that his preparation involved looking for an area with flat roads and long straight stretches, which is why he opted for Denmark.
The Model S, which Consumer Reports recently called the best car it has ever tested after it "broke" its rating scale, was unmodified, though its tires were inflated to 55 psi rather than the standard 45 psi. Nyland says he and a friend drove at a steady 25 mph (40 km/h) (with a sign to alert other drivers), kept the vehicle's air-conditioning and fans switched off and avoided hard acceleration and use of the brakes where possible.
The whole hypermiling trip lasted for 19 hours 40 minutes, of which one hour was spent on breaks, and with Nyland and his friend taking it in turns to drive. The exact average speed over the course of the journey ended up being 24.2 mph (39 km/h) and a total of 77.5 kWh of energy was used.
Nyland says the achievement shows just how efficient Teslas and other electric vehicles can be. "The energy consumption in an electric car is already way lower than the total energy needed for a gasoline car," he says. "This hypermiling is a proof-of-concept that electric cars have the potential to be even more effective than gasoline cars can ever be. As for Tesla, it shows that the P85D can be insanely fast, but at the same time also be very efficient."
Nyland says the route was recorded using Google My Tracks and that Tesla can pull the logs from the car to verify the distance driven before charging.
The video below documents the trip.
Source: Bjørn Nyland
