Tesla chief Elon Musk must be very proud.
A team of Dutch drivers have managed to travel 388 miles on a single charge of a Tesla Model S, according to Green Car Reports.
The feat took about 16 hours and was accomplished by a group of students from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU Eindhoven).
While 388 miles on a single charge is indeed impressive, the group of Eindhoven students are (rather amazingly) not the world record holders for farthest distance traveled on a single charge of a Model S, and must be content with merely being Europe’s record holders.
That honor goes to David Metcalf, a senior researcher at the University of Central Florida, who holds the world record for EV single charge drive distance. Metcalf, along with his son, drove his Model S 423 miles on a single charge through Everglades and around Lake Okeechobeeda. Although the Model S is rated at 250-300 miles per charge, Metcalf was able to nearly double that rating by driving at an average speed of 18 mph.
Why were the Dutch not able to go as far? For starters, they averaged just over 24 mph and drove it on public motorways and in traffic, which arguably makes it a far more realistic accomplishment than the one performed in Florida.
While these sorts of stunts are most likely intended to generate attention for the record holders themselves, they sever the double purpose of legitimizing EVs further. The more people learn of long distance EV travel, the more likely they will feel comfortable with the prospect of EV ownership.
If you’d like to watch the Dutch European record-breaking drive, check out Tesladriving.nl for videos.
