Over 900 kms (560 mi) of Hypermiling on a single charge in a Tesla Model S

Jun 21, 2017 | by Iqtidar Ali

Range anxiety days are getting over with the advancements in battery technologies and drivers exploring efficient ways to extend their electric vehicle trips. One such feat was pulled together this past weekend by Steven Peeters and his partner Joeri Cools.

It took the duo a 23 hour 45 minute ordeal to stretch a Tesla Model S P100D to the limits never been experienced before. The previous record of 728.7 km (452.8 mi) on single charge was set by the famous Bjorn Nyland with a Model S p85D (video below).

Peeters’s curious mind was churning this idea way before he got his Model S delivered in March this year. But there were hurdles to overcome such as the ideal weather conditions, a suitable path and the perfect execution time.

According to Steven:

I also had to wait for just the right circumstances, so when I finally got my car in early March, that was definitely not the right time. I was also not planning on doing this alone and luckily a good friend, former colleague and Model X driver, Joeri Cools, was interested in this challenge.

Choosing a path with minimum traffic, no traffic signals and a flat plain landed them with a 37.3 km long track of which 26 km was a closed loop circuit (map picture below).

Continuously driving on the same path and having a TEST sign on the rear window even drove the attention of cops and they were once pulled over to the side for some questions.

900 km in a single charge Tesla Model S journey's route map
900 km in a single charge Tesla Model S journey's route map

Continuous driving in outside temperatures of 25 °C (77 °F) in the daytime with shining sun made the car interior as hot as 35 °C (95 °F) but also helped in achieving lower power consumption in comparison to a colder night. As Steven describes it:

So, we did try harder and harder to get those numbers down, until the sun came to our aid and we saw a dramatic decrease in power consumption as the temperature rose. Below 20°C we saw a decrease of 1-2Wh/km for each degree the temperature rose. Once above 20°C thing became more complicated, so it is definitely not a linear curve. With a few other adjustments, we got the consumption way down and things were looking good again.

The only tip for optimized hypermiling that Steven shared from this experience is to drive the car at 40 kph (25 mph) for the rest of the things he learned he wants others to figure out on their own.

Earlier today Elon Musk tweeted in context to this achievement that:

Over 1000 km should be possible in a 100D with the right tires

Steven Peeters wrote the whole story in detail on his blog at Silver-Lining where he usually posts as a Tesla Evangelist. (Photos by: Steven Peeters)

Let’s watch Bjorn Nyland’s record of 728.7 km on a single charge in a Model S P85D.

Iqtidar Ali
[email protected]

Iqtidar Ali reports on the latest happenings at Tesla and Electric Vehicle forefront. With over 1 decade of experience in website development, he's our IT resource as well.


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