Edmunds.com Tesla Drivers Set Record for Cross-Country Travel in Electric Vehicle

SANTA MONICA, Calif., July 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- A team from Edmunds.com, the premier destination for car shopping, shattered the cross-country speed record in an electric vehicle when driving from Redondo Beach, Calif. to New York, NY in a 2013 Tesla Model S in 67 hours and 21 minutes. The record-setting drive erased the previous record of 76 hours and 5 minutes set by a team of Tesla staffers.

Edmunds.com Director of Vehicle Testing Dan Edmunds and Photo Editor Kurt Niebuhr completed the cross-country journey in less than three days while stopping at 23 Tesla Supercharger stations across the nation. And unlike Tesla's cross-country attempt, Edmunds.com's duo completed the journey on its own without the safety net of a trailing support staff. Edmunds and Niebuhr documented their full "reverse Cannonball Run" at http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/features/2013-tesla-model-s-coast-to-coast-road-trip.html

"The key to breaking the record wasn't to drive fast; we had to drive smart," said Dan Edmunds. "Fast, aggressive driving will only succeed in sucking down an EV's battery. We had to drive responsibly to make sure we had enough juice to get from one charging station to the next. And we saved time by charging only a little more than what we figured was necessary to get to the next Supercharger."

The cross-country sprint produced some other impressive eye-popping statistics:

• Total Distance: 3,331.9 miles
• Driving Time: 52 hours, 41 minutes
• Average Driving Speed: 63.2 mph
• Total Supercharger Plug-In Time: 14 hours, 40 minutes
• Average Supercharger Plug-in Time: 38.3 minutes
• Number of Other Stops: 0
• Total Energy Consumption: 1.06 Megawatt-hours
• Total Fuel Cost: $0 (thanks to Tesla's free superchargers, available to all Tesla owners)

Upon arriving in New York, Edmunds.com's team turned around to head back to Southern California the very next day. Even with a less ambitious return strategy, Edmunds and Niebuhr managed to complete the round-trip adventure in less than a week:  6 days, 23 hours and 4 minutes, to be exact.

The record-breaking trip was the signature moment for Edmunds.com's 2013 Model S, which has been one of the most popular vehicles in the history of the company's Long-Term Road Test fleet. Readers can catch up on all of Edmunds.com's experiences with the Model S at http://www.edmunds.com/tesla/model-s/2013/long-term-road-test/.

About Edmunds.com, Inc.
Edmunds.com is a car-shopping Web site driven to make car buying easy. Almost 18 million visitors use our shopping tools every month to connect with nearly 10,000 dealer franchises across the U.S.  Shoppers can browse our inventory listings for available cars and trucks, and with Edmunds.com's Price Promise(SM), they can get an instant, upfront price on those same vehicles. Recently named the "Highest Ranked Third-Party Automotive Web Site" according to J.D. Power's 2014 Third-Party Automotive Website Evaluation Study(SM), Edmunds.com is also home to comprehensive car reviews, shopping tips, photos, videos and feature stories. Even when you're at the dealership, we're always by your side. Use our acclaimed Edmunds.com iPhone and iPad apps or Edmunds.com Android App, or contact our free Live Help line at 1-855-782-4711 or text our experts at ED411. Edmunds.com also founded Car Week, a special shopping event that connects more car shoppers with dealers. We're based in Santa Monica, Calif., but you can connect with us from anywhere by following @Edmunds on Twitter or by becoming a fan of Edmunds.com on Facebook.

Contact:
Jeannine Fallon/Aaron Lewis/Stephanie Mar
Edmunds.com Corporate Communications
www.Edmunds.com
Media Hotline: 310-309-4900
[email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140721/128962

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130612/MM31390LOGO

SOURCE Edmunds.com