In our time, electric vehicles are more common than ever with sufficient range and the charging network needed to allow road trips. YouTuber and tech-guru Marques Brownlee wanted to put this notion to the test by completing a 1,000-Mile Roadtrip in the US with three different cars – a gas-powered Audi Q5 as a reference, a Tesla Model S Plaid, and a Ford Mustang Mach-E.
The goal of this experiment was to compare the time each car would need to arrive at the destination, as well as the total cost of gas/electricity used throughout the whole trip.
The road trip started with a full tank and full batteries from New York to Lake Placid, to Niagara Falls where the drivers call it a day. In this first leg, the Audi did one gas station stop for refueling, while the Tesla needed three stops in Superchargers (although it did manage to complete the New York to Lake Placid 293-mile trip in one charge). The Ford on the other hand had trouble with non-working chargers that forced the driver to a detour and a total of six stops for charging.
The first leg of the road trip took 11 hours and 8 minutes for the Audi. Compared to that benchmark, the Tesla arrived 47 minutes later while the Ford needed 5 hours and 32 minutes despite not making it to Lake Placid (due to the faulty chargers). The team decided not to charge/refuel any of their cars during their stay at the hotel.
See Also: Ford Mustang Mach-E Owner Makes Coast-To-Coast Trip For Less Than $160
The second day was easier for everyone since the Ford team decided to not trust the car’s infotainment system and use their own apps in order to find proper charging stations. Not surprisingly, the Audi was the first back to base, completing the return trip from Niagara falls to New York in 7 hours and 21 minutes after stopping once for refueling. The Tesla finished only 36 minutes later after three stops for charging, while the Ford needed an extra 1 hour and 28 minutes after two stops for charging.
To sum up, the Audi was the fastest to complete the full trim in a total of 18 hours and 29 minutes. The Tesla Model S Plaid came second, arriving 1 hour and 32 minutes later, while the Ford Mustang Mach E came third with a difference of 7 hours and 32 minutes compared to the Audi. As for the cost, the team in the Audi Q5 spent a total of $84.79 on gas, compared to the $66.35 cost of electricity in the Tesla Model S Plaid and a similar $61.25 for the Ford Mustang Mach-E.
After this experience, Marques Brownlee concluded that the biggest advantage of the Tesla compared to other electric cars is the Tesla Supercharging Network and the infotainment which shows you exactly where to stop in order to arrive at your destination in the most efficient way.
Even though he admits he couldn’t achieve Tesla’s advertised 348-mile range in contrast with the more realistic 293-mile range of the Ford, the superiority of Tesla’s charging network was evident. Ford claims that the FordPass charging network is the biggest available in the US but this includes not only the superfast chargers of Electrify America, but also other public networks that are not as fast or as well maintained.