EV completes record drive

Tesla Owners Club of New Zealand founder and president John Fitness has done it.

He drove 2008km from Cape Reinga to Bluff in his Tesla Model 3 on February 4 and 5 to set a possible Guinness Book of World Record for the least number of charging stops travelling the length of New Zealand.

Fitness recorded six EV charging stops – at Whangarei, Hamilton, Mangaweka, Ward, Christchurch, and Palmerston – which took just over half an hour at each and gave him time for a break.

He says the trip cost him $117.69 for charging up, the drive taking him less than 48 hours.

Fitness left Cape Reinga at 5.27am on February 4 and arrived in Bluff on February 5 at 9.34pm.

He averaged 126Wh/km.

“Highlights were many but meeting (Invercargill mayor) Tim Shadbolt on arrival in Bluff, and (Whangarei mayor) Sheryl Mai in Whangarei were up there for sure,” Fitness says.

He also pays tribute to the many EV drivers that drove in convoy with him during parts of the journey or followed his progress on tracking system Glympse.

Fitness says the trip went without any problems and he hopes it will encourage other people to consider EVs.