Tesla Model S Hits 1.18 Million Miles

13 Motor Swaps and 3 Batteries

Hansjoerg von Gemmingen-Hornberg’s Tesla Model S has attained an even greater accomplishment with the electric vehicle accumulating 1.18 million miles thus far. Everywhere from Europe to destinations such as China and Africa have been enjoyed by the car throughout its majestic journey.

Reaching his milestone of completing one million miles, Von Gemmingen planned to get a newer car such as the Lucid Air offering more range and state-of-the-art tech. Unfortunately, complications caused him to wisely maintain his trusty Tesla Model S.

The story of the world record Tesla with 1.9 million km and its owner

Over the span of nine years, the 2014 Model S has experienced quite a few changes, undergoing thirteen replacement motor swaps, the majority of which have been refurbished items, with all of them covered by a guarantee. Furthermore, its battery pack has been replaced three times, with the most current iteration being an unused one.

Von Gemmingen looked to the EV Clinic in Croatia as a means of cutting back on motor swaps when it came to addressing engine issues. In doing so, a design fault in the cooling seal of the electric motor was ascertained. Through the Croatian business, the 14th drive unit was equipped with a set of seals that should endure longer than Tesla’s single-lip variant, enabling it to venture 310,000 miles without needing to be substituted.

Tesla sought to reduce expenses by replacing the existing three-lip seal design with a single-lip piece, which isn’t as robust. When that seal fails, coolant can find its way into the motor and thereby cause harm. Additionally, EV’s cooling levels will be depleted which compromises overall performance.

Now that the million-mile Tesla of Von Gemmingen is no longer covered by a warranty, obtaining replacement motors and new battery packs will be financially taxing. This could result in the need for him to get an alternative ride soon.

However, if the enhancements carried out by EV Clinic prove to remain durable, the electric vehicle may be able to manage more than 1.5 million miles prior to requiring another motor. For the battery, it will be a different story as Tesla has yet to develop a unit that is capable of lasting one million miles.