It was just over three days, 76 hours and 35 minutes to be exact, but Tesla just completed what may be a record setting drive. They have taken a pair of Model S sedans and cross the continental US using only the Tesla-built Supercharger network with a goal of using the least amount of charging time. The Guinness Book of World Records is still pouring over the data to see if the record is indeed valid, but we think Tesla has this one in the bag. To make this trip even more impressive, Tesla took a northern route, blasting through some of the coldest regions in the country during a period that has been the coldest in decades. Ask any electrical engineer what the quickest way to destroy a battery is; chances are they will say extreme temperatures.
To see A pair of Model S sedans complete this task is amazing. As a bonus, Tesla released the total energy usage of the trip and we did some math to calculate the cost of the trip in “fuel”. They used a total energy consumption of 1,197.8 kWh. At the national average electric rate of 13 cents per kWh, Tesla spent $155.74. That comes out to less than 4 cents per mile. Or at a price of $4 per gallon for gasoline, the equivalent of 39 gallons of gas. One final math number for you; to get that same distance on 39 gallons of gas, you would have to average 88.83 miles to the gallon.
Overall a great achievement. Bravo Tesla.
