Tesla torches McLaren 4-0

This story first appeared in the May issue of EVTalk – CLICK HERE to download the magazine FREE

A Tesla electric car caned a McLaren MP4 12C four-zip in short drag races at Ardmore Airport in South Auckland.

But a New Zealand record attempt to get as many electric vehicles (EVs) in one place failed by about six. Ninety-four EVs arrived when at least 100 were needed.

It was all part of the Leading the Charge tour of New Zealand by 12 EVs, starting in Bluff on April 19 and ending at Cape Reinga around May 10.

The Auckland stopover was split between Ardmore and the Auckland University of Technology’s North Shore campus on May 7, which might have detracted from the Ardmore EV record attempt.

Still, hundreds of people attended the Ardmore EV gathering where they were treated to four races over about 250 metres between the McLaren and the Tesla Model S P100D with “Ludicrous Plus” fast acceleration mode.

Energy and resources minister Judith Collins flagged away the first few races.

“I didn’t think it would win so convincingly,” McLaren driver Hayden Johnston, general manager of event sponsor Genuine Vehicle Imports (GVI), says of the Tesla.

To rub salt into the wound, the Tesla even carried a few passengers in the last couple of races.

Collins was one of them – she lost her lippy in the back seat to the fierce acceleration.

Johnston says the day achieved its aim of getting people interested in and trying out EVs.

“There were nearly 600 EV test drives.”
The drag race was “all a bit of fun”, he says.

An overseas drag race between a Tesla and a McLaren saw the Tesla blitzed in 2015 then hold its own a year later.

The Tesla is quicker off the mark but is eventually gunned down by the McLaren over the standard 402m (quarter mile).

Despite being in the losing car, Johnston says it was wonderful to see so many people at Ardmore, showing an interest in EVs.

GVI has about 85 EVs in its Penrose yard and took 16 of them to the Ardmore event, ranging from Mitsubishi i-MiEVs to Tesla Model S cars.

Many people also showed up at the AUT Akoranga campus in Northcote for test drives and a look at the various EVs on display.

ChargeNet NZ’s Rachelle Tisley, helping with EV inquiries during the tour, says there’s been considerable interest.

A highlight for her was the stopover at the MTA100 Car Show of the Century in Wellington in April.

Raymond Fussell from Auckland’s Hibiscus Coast called in at the AUT event because he’s awaiting delivery of a Hyundai Ioniq.

He used to run Taffy’s Tours and says he “got into EVs before getting into retirement”. He still drives a small shuttle service three or four days a week.

Henry Schmidt of EV dealership Autolink in Grey Lynn came to show off a Nissan e-NV200 electric van while Jeremy Cole-Baker of Kumeu took people for test drives in a Nissan Leaf.

Cole-Baker’s had an EV for three years and likes the fact they’re zero emissions and use renewable energy.

A software engineer, he uses his EV to commute to Albany, a 35-minute drive, and says one charge does it easily.

“It needs very little servicing too.”
The Better NZ Trust organised Leading the Charge and its communications manager James Cozens has hailed the tour as a success.

“We’re very pleased with it.”
Ardmore was the most successful drive event on the tour, with about 540 rides and drives taken by visitors, he says.

Out of that, 200 drives were recorded. Adding in about 50 rides and drives at the North Shore event, that came to about 600 across Auckland.

Ardmore had one of the biggest Tesla turnouts too, with about 10 on show.

Meanwhile, another record attempt by Auckland to get the most EVs in the same place is planned at the evworld NZ expo at Manukau’s Vodafone Events Centre on September 8-9.

Cozens aims to set the record there with 200.