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The Tesla Roadster, owned by Adelaide-based Internode founder Simon Hackett with co-driver Emilis Prelgauskas, is believed to have set a world record for a production electric car for the longest distance travelled on a single charge.
Event organisers are awaiting confirmation of the long-distance feat, but Internode says the Tesla Roadster covered 501km - from Alice Spring to a marker 183km north of Coober Pedy - on a single charge of its all-electric drivetrain.
The Tesla Roadster is all-electric sportscar is capable of sprinting to 100km/h in just over four seconds and showed its considerable pace as part of the Clipsal 500's Murray Walker Extreme Machines display earlier this year. The 185kW/380Nm lithium-ion battery-powered two-seater, which has cost Mr Hackett close to $200,000, also claims a top speed of 200km/h and a normal driving range of just under 400km.
Mr Hackett said there was only a couple of kilometres left in the batteries. "We wanted to prove a point about the ability of EVs to drive truly large distances - and we have done so. "This ends any contention that EVs aren't practical cars - they're more than that - they are the future of motoring," he said.
The 501km journey beats the previous world electric vehicle distance record by more than 110km.
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