Tesla employees going on 2,700 mile road trip from LA to Detroit - Autoblog After delivering some 900 Tesla Roadsters, over a dozen employees are taking one on a road trip. Tesla will be back at the Detroit Auto Show next month and this time they're driving there. On Thursday, December 17, 16 Tesla employees will depart from Los Angeles and head across the Southeast toward Texas and then north east to Chicago and Detroit. While the the 2,700 mile trip could be completed in a few days in conventional car, it will take two and a half weeks for the Roadster. According to Tesla's announcement, " We are out to prove the Roadster is tough and durable, and that range anxiety is for the weak." While the Roadster may be durable, part of the reason the trip is taking so long is the need to stop and spend several hours recharging every couple of hundred miles. Of course Telsa staff will be using those charging opportunities to show off the car and drum up a few sales.
They're coming through my hometown during the New Year's break. I'm certainly hoping to hook up with the gang here, and maybe snag a test ride. Autogreenblog has posted a pretty critical commentary on this demo. They're spending 2.5 weeks (~150 miles/day on average) doing a drive a conventional car could do in a couple days. While I applaud them for taking it on during the winter, I'm not sure that'll give the proof of reliability they're looking for. And a negative publicity spin could sure result from the limited daily driving distances they'll be going. Still, any press is good press, right?
Nothing like highlighting the shortcomings of your product, and then proving them. I can imagine having one pure EV and one Hybrid some day, but all EV seems like a very distant prospect. We could use an EV much of the time, but not all. Even if our infrastructure provides 'charging stations' everywhere, having to wait to recharge would be quite an adjustment in our culture.
I don't think it's highlighting it's shortcomings. It's a tour which means there are going to stop for days at a time to show the car. If they had a quick charger every 200 miles or so they could pull it off in a couple of days. I am sure any hotel along the route would let them install a quick charger for the free publicity and a boon for business. I believe the tesla quick charger takes 45 minutes to recharge.
I just saw this on the Channel 4 News (Southern Cal). They said "Tesla is out to show Americans that electric cars can make it across the country too." (trivia: is this the first time someone has gone across America entirely on EV?) Upon doing further news research, I found out the event's primary purpose was to kick off the opening of a new dealer in FL. However, when the media heard about it, Tesla said "We're out to show Americans that electric cars can make it across the country too."
Just got home from the Nixa stop of the Tesla Roadster Sport #750. I got to enjoy a short test ride, but did not get to drive. It was a very cool first encounter with the Tesla and I was very impressed with the build and performance. My appetite is sure whetted for my own Model S to arrive....2 years seems like a very long time! Photos from the visit: Tesla Motors - a set on Flickr Tesla Roadster #750 beside my 2004 Prius
And how long did it take the plug-in Prius to drive from Florida to DC? Stunts take longer because they are stunts. It's not news if they just drive to the destination.
what is the issue here?? the fact that its taking 2 weeks?? OMG. next they will complain about the Nissen taking 3 weeks to go from San Francisco to Seattle. the objective with a cross country drive is not performance, its EXPOSURE!!! Tesla wants as many people as possible to see the car. driving thru towns at 120 MPH is not the objective. its a demo tour
Reading the comments to the autoblog article is a hoot. In a way I'm kind of glad there are so many stupid folks in the world that leave inexplicable comments at places like autoblog . . . the comments serve as a reminder that I'll never have to be the bottom rung on the intelegence ladder. .
Comments on autoblog aren't as bad as the ones on Youtube. The comic at xkcd - A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language - By Randall Munroe sums it up pretty well.
