Tesla Model 3 Sets New Range Record At 606.2 Miles

Khodrocar - Let me just say that Domenick Yoney is officially our "special assignments” guy. However, he was too busy this holiday weekend watching his grass grow, so tuning in to the round-the-clock coverage of this epic hypermiling attempt fell on me (sadly, the paint at my house was all dry, so I didn’t have a good excuse). Don’t feel bad though, at least I wasn’t in the 108-degree Tesla Model 3 with Sean Mitchell and Erik Strait (DAErik) driving in circles for 32 hours.

***UPDATE: We reached out to Sean to see if more details were available yet. It seems that they don’t have any answers, but the car is currently being towed to a Tesla Service Center:

    Getting our hypermile #Model3 towed to the Service Center. After leaving it charged overnight at a Supercharger it is still not taking a charge. @teslainventory pic.twitter.com/QicQbnnWrF

    — Sean M Mitchell (@seanmmitchell) May 27, 2018

The guys found a route near Denver, Colorado with only a 10-foot elevation change. It was essentially a one-mile loop in what appears to be a hotel park near the Denver International Airport. So, they just drove around the block at some 20 to 30 mph until the battery died. Let me tell you, it was fascinating to watch. Domenick should be jealous, since we’re sure his grass didn’t grow very much during this attempt.

The guys were not only out to beat Sean’s previous Model 3 range record (which we believe was the only record before now), but also to set a new production EV range record by beating Tesla Owners Italia’s 670-mile Model S 100D feat. They were hoping to earn a spot in the Guinness Book of World Record.

The pair started in the late afternoon on Friday, May 25. They stopped minimally to use the bathroom, but otherwise, kept driving. For food and beverage pickup, they used a fishing net and had their friend David throw the goodies into the net as they drove by. It took them a total of 32 hours and they hit 606.2 total miles.

Weirdly, the car was showing a lower percentage than expected and died at 66 kWh instead of 75. Additionally, when they were done they ran into difficulties charging the vehicle.

When we have more information, we’ll update this post.

    Wow, amazing Tesla hypermile drive happening https://t.co/jJWufZ98C9

    — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 26, 2018

    Hey @elonmusk, @teslainventory and I figured out how to catch @Chipotle burritos on our #Model3 hypermile attempt without stopping. Perhaps you should hire us as interns for @SpaceX.