Two guys from Louisiana just finished driving down to Panama. Not particularly noteworthy, execpt Randy Denmon and Dean Lewis traveled in a Tesla, a luxury vehicle powered solely by electricity.
The trip covered 2800 miles and passed through seven countries. Denmon and Dean drove for 16 days, averaging about 180 miles a day. Poor road conditions and local traffic rules limited the average speed to less than 30 mph (50 kph).
The pair stopped in roadside hotels each night, recharging the vehicle from the hotel's mains power. A couple of hotels charged them for the electricity, but mostly the electrons were free. 240V is standard current in most of Mexico and Central America. Denmon and Dean carried a bag of electric plugs and parts. Frequently they jacked in to the plug for the hotel room air conditioning. Several times they had to custom-build cables to connect to the hotel's electrics.
The pair traveled without support, and with little advance planning. Trip preparations included purchasing a full size spare tire, which went unused, and a Garmin GPS. To improve aerodynamics, the Tesla has an aluminum skin covering the underbody. The panel became a makeshift skid plate on numerous occasions. The Tesla arrived in Panama none the worse for the abuse.
Time constraints required Denmon to ship the Tesla back to USA. Denmon and Lewis flew home.
article describing the trip
http://www.hybridcars.com/from-usa-to-panama-in-a-tesla-model-s/
read the comments
http://evworld.com/focus.cfm?cid=202
Facebook page, including maps of their route
https://www.facebook.com/TexasToPanamaInATesla
The trip covered 2800 miles and passed through seven countries. Denmon and Dean drove for 16 days, averaging about 180 miles a day. Poor road conditions and local traffic rules limited the average speed to less than 30 mph (50 kph).
The pair stopped in roadside hotels each night, recharging the vehicle from the hotel's mains power. A couple of hotels charged them for the electricity, but mostly the electrons were free. 240V is standard current in most of Mexico and Central America. Denmon and Dean carried a bag of electric plugs and parts. Frequently they jacked in to the plug for the hotel room air conditioning. Several times they had to custom-build cables to connect to the hotel's electrics.
The pair traveled without support, and with little advance planning. Trip preparations included purchasing a full size spare tire, which went unused, and a Garmin GPS. To improve aerodynamics, the Tesla has an aluminum skin covering the underbody. The panel became a makeshift skid plate on numerous occasions. The Tesla arrived in Panama none the worse for the abuse.
Time constraints required Denmon to ship the Tesla back to USA. Denmon and Lewis flew home.
article describing the trip
http://www.hybridcars.com/from-usa-to-panama-in-a-tesla-model-s/
read the comments
http://evworld.com/focus.cfm?cid=202
Facebook page, including maps of their route
https://www.facebook.com/TexasToPanamaInATesla