Around The World In 80 Days, Electric Edition: Tesla Roadster Driver Aims For Setting A New Record

The first EV- an original Tesla TSLA Roadster- to drive around the world is on another similar mission after 10 years.

What Happened: Rafael de Mestre drove around the world in his original Tesla Roadster in 2012 and is now on another ride around the globe. The trip is a promo ahead of another EV event he intends to hold in 2024 wherein he will again circumnavigate the world.

Rafael kickstarted the ongoing promo journey in July in the U.S. and is presently driving to Seattle to meet another participant of his journey planned for 2024, as per the latest updates on his website. He has driven 10,628 kms thus far, met with other Tesla owners and even attended the Tesla Takeover event in San Luis Obispo.

He first had his car, which was sitting in a museum after hitting its first record, repaired and upgraded to an 80 kWh battery for the journey to increase the range to about 350 miles, reported Electrek.

As per the report, ahead in the journey, Rafael plans to avoid Russia this time by taking a ferry from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan across the Caspian Sea and entering Europe through Turkey.

For 2024: de Mestre hopes to get 12 teams to complete 40,000 km of electric driving in 80 days in 2024, Electrek said, and certify it as an official world record. The mission, named 80edays, will kickstart on May 11. Rafael has completed an EV journey around the world in 80 days before in 2016 when he was accompanied by a fleet of EVs which included vehicles other than a Tesla.

The 80 days timeline is a possible homage to the French novel ‘Around The World In 80 Days’ by Jules Verne in which a Reform Club member Phileas Fogg attempts to go around the world in 80 days following a bet with his friends. The book follows Fogg on his journey.

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