Italian Tesla drivers set distance record after driving Model S 670 miles on a single charge

A team of Italian Tesla owners have established a new “hypermilling” record, driving a Model S 100D 1078 kilometers (about 670 miles) on a single charge. The record beats one that set by a Model S P100D that drove 560 miles on a single charge in Belgium in June 2017.

Hypermiling is a technique used to conserve gas (or in this case, electricity) which involves driving at a low, consistent speed with minimal use of the vehicle’s brakes. Following word of the June record, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Twitter that hitting 1000 km on a single charge should be possible.

The company’s official club in Italy, Tesla Owners Club Italia, took up the challenge. They used a normal production vehicle outfitted with low rolling resistance tires with the air conditioning turned off. Five drivers completed the task in southern Italy in 29 hours, and noted that the drive was made easier with the car’s autopilot turned on, which “helped us keep a constant speed in the middle of the lane.”

Following the record, Musk wrote on Twitter that it was the first time a production electric vehicle had exceeded 1000 kilometers on a single charge.