A motorist just completed an epic 24-day, 12,000-mile tour of the nation, all courtesy of Tesla.
Norman Hajjar’s journey was two-fold: he wanted to set a Guinness record for electric vehicle driving and make a public call for a better network of charging stations for electric vehicles on behalf of his employer Recargo, an electric vehicle software and analytics company.
Hajjar started his cross-country trek in Washington and Oregon before traversing California from top to bottom, later zig-zagging to Maine via Wyoming and South Dakota. He drove the $89,770 Tesla all the way south to Florida and then north to Pennsylvania before retracing his earlier route back to Cali.
All told, the three week, three day jaunt included stops at more than 100 charging stations and an average of 14-16 hours behind the wheel every day.
The reason for the adventure: “to amplify the point that the electric vehicle has come of age. The only thing that’s holding back this category is the lack of a fast charging infrastructure,” Hajjar, the managing director of PlugInsights, part of Recargo’s research division said.
Hajjar estimates his average drive per charge was 120-130 miles. Tesla advertises a 260-mile driving range.
Hajjar spent the time at Supercharger stations practicing his guitar, FaceTiming with his family and getting witness testimonials to support his Guinness effort.
His journey ended Monday at Recargo’s headquarters in Venice.
Source: LaTimes.com