For new electric vehicle owners, one of the biggest fears (at least at the moment with few charging stations publicly available) is running out of electricity when making a longer-than usual trip. For those of us who have been driving a plug in vehicle for some time the range anxiety is much less because we know the limits of our vehicles. However, any trip to the ‘maximum’ theoretical of our vehicle’s range always spawns nervousness.
After he saw the theoretical range of the Tesla would reach the Yosemite National Park, one adventurous Tesla owner decided to prove the Tesla sales team correct and take a trip out there for himself.
Photo By William A Arnett.
More after the Jump.
When it comes to commuting it’s possible (if you know you have a charge station at your destination as well as departure point) to drive twice as far as your car’s range. If you’re lucky enough to have a vehicle like the Twike, which charges in under 90 minutes on certain battery packs, you can drive a lot further in a day.
I’ve even done 65 miles in one day in a City El – a vehicle only ever intended to be a city run-about. In 2007 my little City El traveled through London before traveling to Brighton on a London-Brighton EV road run. It even included a large hill climb of considerable proportions. At least, by UK standards.
But that’s nothing compared to one chap from San Francisco bay, CA. The proud owner of Tesla 55 of 100 signature models produced at the start of the Tesla production run, Bill Arnett decided to take his fast and funky electric sports car for a trip which would truly allow the EV to stretch it’s legs. He drove his Tesla (and his wife) all the way to Yosemite National Park, with a few quick stops along the way.
It’s not exactly the Charge Across America or the Renew America Road Trip , but I’d do the trip in an instant if I got to experience the same views in one of the world’s most beautiful EVs.
It’s well worth checking out Bill’s glorious photo album. If, like me, A Telsa is a pipe-dream, it’s certainly worth spending ten minutes drooling over his car and the wonderful vistas behind it.