Tesla Finishes Historic Cross Country Road Trip

Tesla Cross Country Road Trip (Credit: Tesla Motors)

After recently completing a new Supercharger network that spans from coast to coast, Tesla Motors set off on an historic road trip to test out the new infrastructure. On February 2, 2014 at 7:30 a.m. two Tesla Model S sedans finished their journey as they pulled up in front of New York City Hall. The run set a new record for an electric vehicle crossing from one coast to the other, traveling from Los Angeles to New York City in just 76 and a half hours. The Guinness Book of World Records in also working to verify if the automaker set a second record for the shortest charge time for an electric vehicle that is driving cross country.

The team of 15 drivers dealt with a number of tough environmental factors during the record trip, including a sand storm, heavy rain, below freezing temperatures, and even three days of blizzard conditions. CEO Elon Musk was waiting at the finish line, as drivers Jalpan Patel and Sara Eslinger drove the final lap of the journey.

Tesla is banking on its growing network of Superchargers to lure even more consumers to purchase a Model S and future Tesla vehicles. There currently are 85 of the rapid electric vehicle chargers, and all of them are free for Tesla Model S owners to use. The automaker has plans to install even more superchargers not only in the United States but also worldwide, making it possible to drive the Model S to a number of long distance destinations.

All along the cross country journey, Tesla owners and fans gathered to cheer the team of drivers on, bringing hot coffee and receiving free t-shirts in return. In the end, the two Model S sedans drove 3,464.5 miles and expended 1,197.8 kWh of energy during the trip.