Team Uber Qik has broken the unofficial electric vehicle (EV) coast-to-coast world record with an elapsed drive and charge time of just 58 hours and 55 minutes. Drivers Rodney Hawk, Deena Mastracci and Carl Reese departed from Los Angeles City Hall in a Tesla P85D on April 16 at 11:41 p.m. PST and arrived at New York City Hall on April 19 at 1:36 p.m. EST, setting two new records for the fastest U.S. coast-to-coast time and least charging time in an EV.
Accompanied by witnesses and timekeepers, Anthony Alvarado, Matt Nordenstrom and Johnnie Oberg, Jr., Team Uber Qik, led by Reese, broke the previous EV U.S. coast-to-coast time record of 67 hours and 21 minutes set by a team from Edmunds.com in summer 2014. While the team broke two records during this trip, Guinness only recognizes the “least non-driving time to cross the U.S. in an electric vehicle,” meaning the shortest amount of charging time. The team logged just 12 hours and 48 minutes plugged in at Tesla’s growing network of supercharging stations conveniently located along major freeways and free to use for all Tesla owners.
“I was inspired by my grandfather who took me on road trips as a child and Alex Roy who broke the cross-country record in a gasoline vehicle in 2006,” said Reese of Santa Clarita, California. “Tesla is such a compelling car company that is creating tens of thousands of American jobs, with Tesla Motors in Fremont, California, Giga Factory in Sparks, Nevada, and Space X in Hawthorne, California.” Reese prides himself on purchasing products only made in the U.S., from shoes and clothing to the Tesla the team drove across the country.
Global fleet tracking company GPS Insight sponsored Team Uber Qik’s record-breaking trip by providing the GPS tracking equipment necessary for third party verification, as required by Guinness Book of World Records. Other sponsors include InspectMobile.com, TeslaGrille.com and Chalkolot.com. The 691 horse-powered Tesla P85D used for the trip is owned by Reese and Mastracci. The team of timekeepers followed the drivers in a Chevrolet Suburban.