It’s easier than ever to ‘drive 65’ in an electric luxury vehicle, with nearly 200 Tesla Supercharger stations strategically placed throughout the continental U.S. and another 150 elsewhere on the planet.  

Tesla Model S owners worldwide have done that and more, banking over one billion miles since the electric car’s introduction less than three years ago. A recent boost in sales helped Tesla climb from just 500 million miles last July to a landmark one billion this month, according to data collected from each of the 76,000 Model S cars on the road worldwide.

A billion miles really is a lot. When Tesla announced the milestone this week, the company released a few cool infographics to represent the distance. One billion miles is equivalent to 4,186 trips to the moon, for instance, or the same as going around the Earth 40,000 times. Since the Model S is after all a green car, it’s pretty important to note the major environmental benefits of those first billion Tesla miles. The 75,000 Model S drivers contributing to the billion-mile landmark have collectively saved 570,000 tons of CO2 emissions and the equivalent of 10 years’ worth of pumping gas.

CEO Elon Musk is keeping his promise to continue expanding Tesla’s Supercharger network, allowing Model S drivers to travel even farther throughout the United States. Grand Rapids, Michigan is awaiting one such Supercharger station, which will be home to eight individual superchargers, as part of the ever-expanding network. Depending on the edition, a Model S can travel between 260 and 295 miles on a single charge.

For Tesla owners looking for a way to rack up some additional miles this summer, check out one data scientist’s answer to the challenge of visiting every single Supercharger station in the country. And, of course, Musk is encouraging people who don’t currently have a Tesla to get one as soon as possible.

Image credit:  Jack Snell | Flickr
Via Inhabitat