In 2022, a Tesla Model S in Germany garnered attention when it reached an odometer reading of 1.5 million km. Almost 2 years later, the odometer reading of this electric car has now gone up to 1.9 million km. This is perhaps the highest odometer reading for an electric car in general, and a Tesla car in particular, to date.
Video of the world’s most driven Tesla Model S and its owner
Over recent years, it is no longer rare for gasoline-powered cars to reach high odometer readings, above 1 million miles (roughly 1.6 million km). However, few electric cars can achieve such a feat like this Tesla Model S.
This Tesla Model S is owned by a man named Hansjörg von Gemmingen-Hornberg. The car belongs to the early version of the Tesla Model S line and is a high-performance variant.
Hansjörg von Gemmingen-Hornberg and his Tesla Model S
Hansjörg purchased this electric car in 2014 as a used vehicle. At the time of purchase, the Tesla Model S had an odometer reading of 30,000 km.
The Tesla Model S reached the 1 million km milestone in Hansjörg’s possession in 2019. Thanks to this, Hansjörg was able to enter his name in the Guinness Book of World Records. Just 7 years later, this man drove his electric car to 1.5 million km. This number has increased to 1.9 million km after 9 years. On average, Hansjörg’s Tesla Model S travels about 570 km per day.
Tesla Model S reached 1 million km in 2019
The reason this Tesla Model S has such a high odometer reading is because Hansjörg frequently takes long trips. As a retired person, he and his electric car have embarked on journeys from Germany to Africa, Morocco, Sweden, Austria, and China.
Tesla Model S on a recent trip to Morocco
Of course, during its use, Hansjörg’s Tesla Model S has experienced some breakdowns. It is known that this car has had its rear electric motor replaced 13 times and its battery replaced 3 times. This means that the battery of the Tesla Model S has an average lifespan of about 480,000 km – quite an impressive figure. Many gasoline cars have had their engines fail before reaching 480,000 km on the odometer.
Meanwhile, the rear electric motor has a shorter lifespan, roughly 160,000 km. On average, about every year, Hansjörg has to replace the rear electric motor once. According to InsideEVs, this is a common issue with early versions of the Tesla Model S. However, not everyone who uses an early version of the Tesla Model S drives 208,000 km per year, so there’s no need to worry about frequently replacing the rear electric motor.
Hansjörg also revealed the secret to prolonging the lifespan of his Tesla Model S. After long trips, he allows his electric car to “rest and relax”. Additionally, he maintains the habit of recharging the battery when the charge level is around 20%. He never lets the battery level drop below 20% or fully charge it to 100%.
Furthermore, Hansjörg advises everyone to always use slow charging systems. According to him, fast Supercharging should only be used during long trips.
Prior to the Model S, he owned another Tesla car, the Roadster. He drove the Tesla Roadster for over 620,000 km before switching to the Model S. The reason he decided to change vehicles was that the Tesla Model S is wider and more comfortable.
Currently, he has placed a deposit to purchase a new Lucid Air electric car. The Tesla Model S may have more time to rest once he receives his new car.