A few years ago, the concept of an electric car achieving 300 miles on a charge was virtually unheard of.
That made one duo’s achievement in a Tesla Roadster very special indeed, even if their average speed was relatively low. But now, you can do that with a Tesla Model S and a few eco driving techniques–so how do you move the game on?
How about 800 miles? That’s what one Japanese electric car-driving team has managed, in an electric-powered Suzuki Every kei-class minivan.
In fact, says Autoblog Green, the team’s eventual record was 813 miles, negotiating a 15.5-mile course around Ogata village in Japan’s Akita Prefecture.
A team of four drivers–including 1997 Dakar Rally winner Kenjiro Shinozuka–took turns driving. When you calculate just how long the record attempt took, you can see why–at average speeds of around 18 mph, that 813-mile distance will have taken over 45 hours.
The Japan Times reports the team intends to file a request with Guinness World Records to have the attempt recognized–beating the previous 623-mile electric car record by quite some margin.
Previous record attempts have been completed in regular vehicles converted to electric power. Surprisingly, this isn’t the case with the odd-looking Every van: Suzuki actually built a limited number of production Every EVs back in 2011. Officially, the vans achieved a 62-mile range with a 550-pound load.
It’s hardly a realistic test of electric car range, and we don’t doubt that most readers would still prefer the 265-mile EPA-rated Tesla Model S sitting in their garage. But as an indication of just how much driving style can affect efficiency, it’s an impressive feat.
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