When Hansjörg Gemmingen had begun to accumulate kilometers on an electric car, the market of the automotive world and in this case that of electric-powered cars , it was very different. Gemmingen had at the time started with a Tesla Roadster, challenging the lack of an effective network of stations and the most advanced charging technologies that exist today. However, in 2014 it switched to a Tesla Model SP 85 , and has been grinding miles with that ever since.

How many can a full-electric car make, then? Until last November, in 2019, Gemmingen had covered 1 million kilometers, a feat certified by a representative of the Guinness Book of Records . This is a victory for both Tesla and for the growing sector of electric vehicles, now more common but still representing a niche of the entire automotive market. When Gemmingen started, however, the story was very different.

At the time we were asked in a choral way how much I breathe could have had a company like Tesla , and if Elon Musk’s bet made sense given the total lack of a public electric charging network and the ineffectiveness of few electric cars in circulation. Even today we often ask ourselves if an electric car can really replace an internal combustion model every day, and we try to dispel all doubts about it.

It is clear that the achievement of the million kilometers last November and the crossing of the milestone of 1.2 million kilometers occurred on 15 October, are all goals that could decimate some doubts on the subject. In the previous days, when he announced the imminent new milestone reached by his Model S (apparently with a single change of batteries at 470 thousand kilometers) even Elon Musk congratulated Gemmingen.

Part of the merit of Gemmingen is due to the maintenance carried out on the vehicle: during the million kilometer race three electric motors were used, replaced under warranty, but in absolute terms it seems that the maintenance costs were rather low. Interestingly, Gemmingen records were made with one of the first Model S models , and since then the car has undergone several improvements that have