The Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) Model S is now officially on par with gasoline-powered vehicles after a test run showed that the car went 320 miles at 75 miles per hour in a highway fuel-economy test run. Car and Driver said it was the first time the Model S exceeded 300 miles on a single charge in one of its test runs.
Q1 2021 hedge fund letters, conferences and more
Tesla Model S now on par with gas-powered cars
Car and Driver tested the Model S Long Range Plus, which became the first electric vehicle to break the 300-mile barrier in its range testing. The car has a battery capacity of 103.9 kWh, which is a little more than its predecessors, like the Model S 100D, which went 270 miles in the same test. Car and Driver said that in addition to adding more battery capacity, Tesla also added extra range by making the car operate more efficiently.
The highway fuel-economy test involves running electric vehicles on an out-and-back loop of a 100-mile stretch of interstate at 75 miles per hour on cruise control. Car and Driver said that such a test on an EV often involves a shortened loop and "a lot of nail-biting on the part of whichever test driver has been assigned to the task."
However, with the Tesla Model S Long Range Plus, there was no need for a shortened loop and no concerns. In fact, they had to lengthen the course, making the results the best of any EV tested so far. Tesla continues to add range to its vehicles with plans for cars with 412, 390 and over 520 miles of range.
When will the Model 2 arrive?
In other Tesla news, the Model 3 was the automaker's first mass-market vehicle, but it will soon release an even cheaper all-electric car called the Model 2. CEO Elon Musk has promised an electric car that's cheaper than the Model 3, although we have very few details about it at this point. The automaker hasn't made any official announcement about the car.
Hot Cars collected all the details we know about the Model 2 so far. For example, China will receive early access to the vehicle as Musk expects it to be manufactured there for the entire globe. However, it will supposedly be designed and developed in Germany. The Model 2 will reportedly start at $25,000, bringing the price to about that of gasoline-powered cars.
Tesla is part of the Entrepreneur Index, which tracks 60 of the largest publicly traded companies managed by their founders or their founders' families.
