Could this be an example where Toyota wins the battle, but Tesla Motors is winning the war? This week, Tesla officially leapfrogged Toyota to claim the longest-range, zero-emission production vehicle. Toyota, however, struck back in its own way by likely setting the Guinness World Record for the most electric miles driven in a 24-hour period. We all take our victories where we can.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has officially bestowed a 315-mile single-charge range on the Tesla Model S P100D, which
we’ve already noted can jet from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 2.5 seconds. The EPA gives the P100D a “fuel”-economy rating of 98 miles per gallon equivalent, which is up from the Model S P90D’s 95 MPGe rating. More importantly,
the 315-mile range beats out that 312 miles a Toyota Mirai fuel-cell vehicle can travel on a full tank of hydrogen,
Electrek says. Elon Musk has said the P100D may eventually be able to go as far as 330 miles on a full charge. The Model S P100D sells for a cool $134,500 (more than double the Mirai’s price), and buyers can pony up another $20,000 to upgrade battery packs. Either way, we await the prospect of a hypermiling competition between a Mirai and P100D that may really settle the score.
Where the Mirai wins is in refueling time. The hydrogen car made history via a rather long driving test conducted by hydrogen station maker True Zero, which has 15 stations throughout California and four more planned by early 2017. True Zero, which offers four-minute fill-ups at its stations, took a Mirai clear across California (and into Reno), and
covered 1,438 miles in a 24-hour period, according to
Green Car Congress. The trip could set a new Guinness record, if makes it official.
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