Teslas used as taxis make quite a few kilometers, but the German Hansjörg Freiherr von Gemmingen-Hornberg set a world record: 1 million kilometers. The next goal: 1 million miles.
Some people take to the streets to protest, but Hansjörg Freiherr von Gemmingen-Hornberg prefers to take to the road to demonstrate. After all, he has set himself the goal of showing the world that alternative powertrains function without problems today. “The electric car is a mosaic stone, it can be used on a much larger scale,” says the nobleman, whose family has been titled for 1,200 years.
Recently he passed the 1 million mark with his Tesla Model S 85. The car dates from 2013, the squire bought it in 2014 with 30,000 kilometers on the clock. Since then, the man who once followed an agricultural education has driven about 200,000 kilometers per year. So he spends a lot of time in his Tesla, but he is used to that. “I used to be on the tractor all day, that was basically the same story. Today Freiherr von Gemmingen-Hornberg is an entrepreneur, he lives near Karlsruhe. “Near the autobahn, which is very convenient.” He made his money by trading currency, among other things.
North Cape
His longest ride was the one to the North Cape, covering a total of about 14,000 kilometers in four days.
The running costs of his “endurance tester” are low. “I get free electricity from Tesla or from the hotels where I spend the night,” says the squire. The wear also remains within limits. At some point, he covered 300,000 kilometers between two maintenance visits! The tires must be replaced every 50,000 kilometers, the brakes every 400,000 kilometers. “In 99 percent of the cases, I use the recovery mode and I don’t have to use the braking system at all,” he explains.
Battery pack
In addition, Tesla gives an eight-year warranty. “Without a kilometer limit, that is. Maybe I will get a new engine from them. ” The Tesla is now equipped with the fourth engine, all power sources have been replaced under warranty.
The battery pack that is currently in it – the one that was factory-fitted was once replaced – has already covered 470,000 kilometers and still has 80 percent of its original capacity. The first record has been broken, but the squire already has the following goal in mind: 1 million miles, or 1.61 million kilometers.
Finally, we ask him whether the record holder has met Tesla boss Elon Musk. “Yes, once in Munich. But he wasn’t sure what to do with me. ”