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Informative remark from Autoweek

We got 93 miles out of the full charge we had on our day’s drive, which was, as we said, spirited and over twisting mountain roads. The meter on the dash went from 95 percent charge to 7 percent by the time we got back to San Carlos. Those numbers were with the car set to make full power. As it neared empty, the Tesla automatically went into a conservation mode that limited torque by 50 percent. That made the indicated 7 percent at full power jump to 21 percent remaining charge at half power, when the controller opens reserve capacity in the battery pack. The record so far for a Tesla drive in ideal conditions is 267 miles on a charge. It is expected to have an EPA rating of 221 miles.
 
Mark used 74% of charge and went 93 miles - that equates to 125 miles on the full charge. He drove very fast and with the top down and heaters at full blast with me in the passenger seat (220 lbs)

Final note on that figure: VP10 did not have production spec brakes with rollback seals that significantly reduce drag.

Aside from all of that - it is definitely the case that you will see a huge swing in miles per charge based on driving style, just as in a gas car. People don't think about it as much with a gas car because you just go fill up again. Mark's experience is probably the floor considering all the circumstances.
 
siry (Darryl?) thanks for setting the record straight. Based on previous blog entries, the "93 miles out of the full charge" statement did not appear accurate.

You are so right about how we do not think much about regular fill-ups. We just find a gas station and fill up when needed.
 
Longer-term test

What is it like to drive an electric car?

I also take care when parking the Tesla to ensure there’s a plug socket handy because, rather than just charging the battery at home overnight, I’ve discovered it’s a good idea to get into the habit of “grazing”, by which I mean topping up the battery whenever you have a lengthy stop.

You gain about 10 miles in range for every hour you leave a Tesla plugged into a normal 13-amp socket............but you can get a 32-amp socket fitted at home for about £200 and then the charging rate rises to 25 miles for every hour charged.

So a simple 240V/13 Amp office car-park charging point could give you 80 miles of range by the end of a 9 to 5 working day.
 
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I LOVE this part (emphasis mine) ...

However, I’m not too bothered as the electricity I’m charging the Tesla with comes from a wind turbine, in effect making it free motoring. I erected a wind turbine in my garden. Did I go too far? Not when you consider that the 6kw turbine cost about £12,000 (after grants) to install.

Naturally, it only produces the full 6kw when there’s a decent blow but I still managed to produce 8,500kw/h over the past 12 months and that’s enough electricity to keep a Tesla going for an unbelievable 28,325 miles. It’s like discovering I’ve got my own private oil well at the bottom of the garden. Suddenly, the idea of being forced:biggrin: to drive electric-powered cars one day doesn’t seem so bad.
 
High praise indeed from the editor of Evo magazine - hopefully we will see similar articles in that publication too and hence possibly influence a lot of petrolheads.

It's a shame that the Smart ED driver didn't explicitly state that you can offset ~£175 per month from that high lease cost in congestion charges alone (I know she mentions the daily cost but it would have been nice to see it spelt out).
 
Tesla will always offer a sports car. In fact, he’d like to build a full range of electric Roadsters. “From a base model to a GT version,” he says.

The next generation Roadster will be “more unique, more flexible, offer more functionality” and “more avant garde, aggressive styling,” he promises. In the meantime, the Roadster’s getting an improved interior this summer, when Tesla will also launch the Roadster Sport. Buyers can expect a faster, more powerful car with liquid motor- cooling technology, assuring greater performance across a longer range.

First we've heard about future revisions?