Tesla Model S has set a new record for its Pikes Peak Hill climb. This is the latest for a production electric vehicle.
Electrek reported that GO Puck CEO Blake Fuller drove a Tesla Model S at Pikes Peak International Hill Climb last weekend with an 11:48 run. There were initial reports that the car was heavily modified but the main changes were only in its interior.
Fuller and his team set the new production electric vehicle record by a full minute with the Tesla Model S. They got 65th place and were among the top 5 in the overall leaderboard. 3 of the vehicles were in the "electric-modified" category.
According to Digital Trends, the GO Puck CEO completed the 12.42-mile course. The 11-minute time beat the previous record of a Zero electric motorcycle, which got about 13 minutes.
Fuller's racer was a Tesla Model S P90D. It had the largest battery pack, 762 horsepower as well as an all-wheel drive.
It was noted that the Tesla Model S racer was able to shed 800 pounds. High-speed running also put too much stress on the battery pack that the team had to place ice bags under the car to help it cool off quickly.
The 2016 overall winner of the race was Romain Dumas. He drove a custom-built Honda-engined Norma M20 RD Limited and was able to climb the hill in less than nine minutes.
Meanwhile, Tesla may be planning to redefine gas stations. The Washington Post reported that the company is already in discussions with Sheetz, a major gas station and convenience store chain, to expand its network of charging stations. This would also lessen the possibility of customers getting stranded somewhere along a long drive.
"We've had discussions with them about putting their chargers in our stores," Michael Lorenz, Sheetz's executive vice president of petroleum supply, said. "We haven't done anything yet, but we're continuing those discussions."
