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Tesla completes cross-country Supercharger drive in Model S EVs

It wasn't without problems, but Tesla's record-setting electric drive attempt has crossed the finish line. The pair of Tesla Model S EVs that left Los Angeles late last week has made it to New York City using nothing but Supercharger power. Last week, Tesla said the cars would be trying to set a Guinness World Record prize for the "lowest charge time for an electric vehicle traveling across the United States." According to Tesla, the Guinness team is now looking at the data to assess if that record was actually set. We don't know how much time was spent charging during the drive, but Tesla said that the two cars each put on 3,464.5 miles and used a total of 1,197.8 kWh. The entire drive took 76.5 hours. Tesla CEO Elon Musk told CBS that the trip was an "important, historic milestone." The weather wasn't exactly forgiving during that time, but the 15-person team made it safely to NYC in the early morning hours yesterday. The biggest problem was when one vehicle broke down near Mitchell, SD. Fortunately for the record attempt, it was not one of the Model S EVs, but one of the gas-powered support vehicles. This hampered the rotation system the drivers had: eight-hour drive shifts, eight-hour navigator shifts, eight-hour sleep shifts in one of two support vans. Tesla quickly bought plane tickets for the drivers left behind, and you can read details about this and more in the official blog posts here. Related Gallery Tesla Supercharger News Source: Tesla Motors, CBS Green Tesla Electric

Watch Rimac's Concept One roast a LaFerrari and Tesla Model S in a drag race

It's been five long years since Rimac Automobili took the covers off of its Concept_One at the Frankfurt Motor Show. From the very beginning, Rimac has confidently touted the supercar's capabilities, but now we actually have proof of just how capable the Concept_One really is. Here's your takeaway: It's quick enough to show a Ferrari LaFerrari its taillights through the quarter-mile. If you've spent any time clicking around on YouTube, you've seen the Tesla Model S P90D trump all sorts of high-performance cars. In this video, the Tesla is really only there for reference, because the way the Concept_One bests the electric sedan is just brutal. For those not familiar with Croatia's electric machine, here's the lowdown: 1,088 horsepower and 2,800 pound-feet of torque thanks to four electric motors that put everything down off the line Zero to 62 mph in 2.6 seconds, 6.2 seconds to get to 124 mph from a standstill, and 0 to 186 mph in 14.2 seconds An independent gearbox for each electric motor with the front featuring single-speed gearboxes and the rear axle using two-speed double-clutch gearboxes Rimac All Wheel Torque Vectoring (R-AWTV) system that calculates the optimum amount of torque for each wheel On paper, the Concept_One makes a Tesla Model S P90D with Ludicrous Mode look slow. But a LaFerrari isn't a Model S. And it's definitely not an electric car. It's a stampeding thoroughbred with a naturally aspirated V12 and an electric motor that together make 950 horsepower. It can blitz the quarter-mile in roughly 9.8 seconds and is faster than the majority of cars on the road today. Granted, the LaFerrari is quicker to 60 mph than the Concept_One, at 2.5 seconds. In essence, this race between two titanic machines should be close. But it's not. It's not even close to being close. It's a massacre. Related Video: News Source: Archie Hamilton Racing via YouTubeImage Credit: Archie Hamilton Racing / YouTube Green Ferrari Tesla Coupe Electric Videos drag race ferrari laferrari Rimac

Missouri next state to attempt Tesla direct-sales ban

When Tesla Motors feels like its under attack, it is not afraid to speak out. After state lawmakers in New Jersey voted to close the electric vehicle company's stores there, the company said it was an "affront to the very concept of a free market" and CEO Elon Musk compared the situation to mafia tactics. In Ohio, when the company learned about a fast-moving challenge, it quickly asked its fans and owners for help. That same move is now taking place in Missouri, where Tesla said a "sneak attack" is happening that will "thwart due process and hurt consumer freedom in Missouri." Tesla currently has one store in Missouri, in St. Louis (and wants to open another), but new language inserted into a bill that had previously been focused on off-road vehicles "would bar Tesla from selling its vehicles direct to consumers in the state," the automaker says. That doesn't seem like an exaggeration, since the bill explicitly states: In enacting subsection 3 of this section, it is the express intent of the legislature to prevent any manufacturer of new motor vehicles from circumventing the public policy as stated in section 407.811, by engaging in methods of retailing new motor vehicles which are designed to avoid the provisions of sections 407.810 to 407.835. Tesla says the bill's new language passed the Senate last night, "after zero public consultation and could soon move to the House floor for a final vote, essentially without debate." Tesla wants to get a debate started, so it makes its point in bold terms. "To be clear: this is worse than a mere case of dealers trying to protect an existing monopoly – this is a case of dealers trying to create a monopoly," the company said. Recently, some officials at the FTC said they thought anti-direct sales rules were "protectionist," which at least hints that a possible change is coming. You can read Tesla's call to action for Missouri below. We have just become aware of a last-minute attempt by the auto dealers lobby, via pressure on legislators, to use a procedure that would bar Tesla from selling its vehicles direct to consumers in the state. This extraordinary maneuver amounts to a sneak attack to thwart due process and hurt consumer freedom in Missouri. In the last week before Missouri's legislature ends its current session, dealers proposed new language in an existing bill that would force Missouri consumers to purchase new vehicles only through middleman franchised dealers.