Tesla Model S Long Haul Sets EV Cannonball Run Record

Just over 42 hours

Tesla
A Tesla Model S is plugged into a Tesla supercharger in Berlin's Schoeneberg district on October 3, 2021.
ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images

Since the pandemic began, a few activities have increased dramatically from their pre-COVID levels. Birdwatching is one example; playing Animal Crossing is another. And for a much smaller group of people, there’s the challenge of making it all the way across the country on a vehicle in the fastest time possible. This month already brought news that a new record for the Cannonball Run has been set by a guy on a motorcycle. Now, a new team has claimed their own subset of Cannonball Run history, setting a new record for making the trip in an electric vehicle.

Road & Track reports that Ryan Levenson and Josh Allen set the record by driving from Manhattan’s Red Ball Garage to the Portofino Hotel in Redondo Beach, California, taking 42 hours and 17 minutes to do so. It’s worth mentioning that this is far longer than the overall record (25 hours and 39 minutes) or the motorcycle record (32 hours and 52 minutes).

Traveling in a Tesla Model S Long Haun, Levenson and Allen opted for a distinctive strategy when they got to charging stations. According to the article, they would generally begin charging when their Model S’s battery was at about 10%, and would charge it up to 50% before setting off again. On average, Road & Track reported, this took 18 minutes per stop.

Also of note: the team’s cross-country run got off to a rocky start, with the duo encountering traffic in Manhattan. All of that suggests that this new record might be challenged before too long. Let’s hope everyone stays safe when they do so.

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