A few months ago we told you about Tesla’s ambitious plan to drive a Tesla Roadster from Los Angeles, CA to Detroit, MI(If you missed it, click here). The goal was to address the issue of an electric car’s range, answer those concerns, and put a nail in its coffin for good. The route was a 2700 mile journey through America’s heartland, with 19 stops along the way for interviews, PR, and to re-charge. But the Road Trip wasn’t planned for the middle of summer, along the gorgeous coast of California, where the temperature and climate vary between “partly cloudy and 80 degrees” and ” Heavenly.” No. The trip started in L.A. mid-December, went through the south and ended in Detroit in January, where the average temperature at night is 17.8 degrees. If you live in LA, your frozen double-decaf-nonfat-cuz-I’m-on-a-diet-but-yes-extra-carmel-latte is warmer than that. This trip was going to show people that the Tesla could not only travel great distances, but be used in any condition. As of January 8th, the trip is over, and the results are in.
Tesla Roadster #750 made it without a scratch. 16 Tesla employees drove the car 2700 miles without a break-down, power-outage, electric shock or catastrophic explosion. They stopped at diners, universities, car clubs, race tracks and even gas stations. Every stop brought a gaggle of news crews, looky loos, inquisitive adults, excited kids, and camera phone ninjas. The excitement around the car is impressive, especially when the car traveled through Texas and Oklahoma. These are the places you would think would greet the Tesla with a gas can and the burning branch of some endangered tree. But no. Parties were thrown, questions hit the drivers in waves, and there was nothing but smiling faces and an eagerness to learn more at every turn. People everywhere are excited about this car.
In reading the blogs, one thing bugged me. In addition to the nightly charges, the team was charging the car to mid-day. It gave Tesla opportunities to meet more people, answer more questions, and show how easy it is to find a place to plug in, but I would have liked to see them do some seriously long drives without a stop. If you only need to go 200 miles, and have all day to do it, stopping for a long lunch and some electrons is fine, but what if you want (or need) to just get there? The drive was an impressive feat, I just wish the legs had been a bit longer.
Overall, this is a huge step for electric cars. Tesla has argued since day 1 the average American drives less than 40 miles a day, a 1/6th of the Tesla’s range. Yet people still said it couldn’t go far enough. “What if I want to drive to San Diego, or Las Vegas, or Maine?” You can. Yes, if it’s far enough to require recharging, it will take longer than a gas or diesel car. But you can drive it in the desert, in the mountains, on the freeway, on a racetrack or in the snow (with snow tires and TCS on). And as far as the infrastructure that nay-sayers, oil barons and big-3 automakers say we don’t have, we have it. As one driver said, “If you can plug in your cell phone, you can plug in your roadster.”
Electric cars are not perfect. Fuel-cars may not travel 500 miles every day, but the fact is they can if you need them to. And to keep the range up, the drivers maintained a paint-dryingly boring 65mph (although one source said the car attained 119mph). Sure, a gasoline car’s range is equally affected by your right foot but if you overdo you don’t have to sit at an RV campsite for 4 hours, fighting off coyotes, before you can head out again. But the fact remains, cars like the Tesla are a viable option for the future. They found Tesla owners in every state, and the interest in the car was universal. It’s not just hipsters in Seattle or rich tree-huggers that are drawn to this silent powerhouse. It’s moms in Texas, playboys in Monaco, and kids in Arizona. Through this trip, Tesla showed us not only the capabilities of their cars, but the interest all Americans have for them. Besides, the Tesla is way more fun than the sleeping pill known as the Prius.
One of these is a ball, and one has none.
Read about the entire journey: Roadster Road Trip
Questions about the car? Click HERE
[...] After 2700 Miles, a Dirty discoverer Crosses the Finish Line | The … [...]
Still need the price to come down substantially before everyone is interested.
Lets call this one a 3 day trip in 10 days. (with some scheduled press stops during recharging of course.
This is complete vaporware. Who has 120,000 they are going to spend on a car that takes 4 hours to charge on a 240v charger that costs $3000 plus installation? That is crazy! This car is able to be used on road trips? Please! Max Cooper dropped the "environmental-friendly," theme of the Gumball Rally 2 years ago. The Tesla's could not go more than 150 miles without having to stop for a charge. A typical days worth of driving would include 300+ miles worth of driving in a day in either the Gumball or the Bull Run. Autoweek could only get a range of 93 miles on a charge. Is the car fast? Yes! Is the car sporty? Yes! But, is the car more than a grocery-getter? No!
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